Chapter 1: Hanging Edge
Watch the game's gorgeous but chaotic opening cinematic, you'll be
thrust into battle with a Manasvin Warmech. Watch and participate in the
tutorial to learn about auto-battle, and use it to get past the first
section of this fight. After a brief cutscene you'll be fighting it
again. Don't bother healing; just mash on the auto-battle button until
the battle ends. Here you will get your first battle ranking, where
you're scored on a scale of 5 stars.
When you finally have control of Lightning on the field, follow
the path up to the first save point. Save your game (don't bother
shopping now), then move on. Just ahead you'll find a pair of PSICOM
Wardens to defeat, so take them out using auto-battle.
Ahead, it seems as though you can travel no further. Locate and
approach the blue circle on the ground ahead to hop over the debris
pile, take out the PSICOM Wardens ahead, and three more enemies beyond
them. Jump over the next pile of debris, grab the
Potion (that
floating sphere to the left). Past that you'll face another PSICOM and
two Pantherons. They're slightly tougher than the PSICOM soldiers, but
not by much. From now on, you will want to watch your characters' HP
gauges carefully. If you fall in combat, you will be revived at the last
checkpoint you reached. Using potions in battle is far less time
consuming than restarting from a prior checkpoint.
Aerorail Trussway 12-E/11-E
Just ahead to the right is a staircase. Head up and open the sphere for
2 Potions.
Return to the main path, save at the save point, jump over the debris,
defeat the PSICOM Enforcer and Aerial Recon on the other side, then head
up the steps to the left. Open the sphere for an
Iron Bangle and equip it on Lightning as her accessory.
Move forward on the linear path until you reach Sazh, who's watching a scene below. Drop off the ledge ahead and grab the
50 gil to the right. Try to sneak up on the PSICOM Wardens ahead to get the advantage in battle.
Just ahead you'll get a tutorial on item use in battle. You can skip
it; taking part in the tutorial causes you to lose a Potion.
After the brief cutscene ahead, head up the ramp to fight three
Pantherons and a PSICOM Warden. Watch your HP in this fight; you'll most
likely need to use a Potion on Lightning or Sazh at some point.
Afterward, go up the stairs, use the save point, then jump off the ledge
and hit the switch to cross the gap.
Ahead you'll get a tutorial on Attack Chain. Here you'll learn
about the Chain Gauge bar and Staggering, so pay close attention.
Watch the following cutscene, in which you meet a new character,
Snow, who for some unfathomable reason likes to wear his hair down
between his eyes.
Aerorail Trussway 5-W
As Snow, turn around and open the sphere for
50 gil. Move forward on the path to a save point, use it, and proceed up the debris ahead until a cutscene takes over.
Defeat the PSICOM soldiers ahead, then continue up the path,
mowing down more of them until, yes, another cutscene kicks in. Kill
more PSICOM grunts and Pantherons ahead, and watch another scene.
Aerorail Trussway 6-W
Open the sphere to the left for an
Iron Bangle for Snow, then
use the save point ahead. Defeat the PSICOM soldiers and Pantherons
ahead, and then get ready for a mid-boss of sorts, the Beta Behemoth.
Use auto-battle to attack it, and heal when your HP gets below 80. It
has an attack that can damage everyone in your party for around that
amount, so you'll want to be sure to heal up afterward if it uses it.
After another lengthy cutscene, save your game. Watch more
cinematics, then fight the Myrmidon with Lightning and Sazh. Just hit it
repeatedly with auto-battle, and use a Potion when either character's
HP gets in the 70-80 range.
Aerorail Trussway 3-N
When you regain control of Snow, open the sphere ahead for a
Power Circle.
Equip it on him, use the nearby save point, then defeat the enemies
ahead. Go up the steps and down the other side, then look in the alcove
to the right for
100 gil. Continue on the path, defeating more PSICOM lackeys, then check out the bikes to trigger another cinematic.
Skybridge No. 103
As the new character, Hope, examine the bike in the center of the path to trigger a cutscene that ends this chapter.
Chapter 2: Pulse Vestige
Sacrarium
Defeat the Pantheron with Vanille and Hope, then go right down that path. Open the sphere for
30 gil,
then return to the starting area. Check the alcoves for a save point,
and use it. Note that you have a new shop available to now, not that you
need to buy anything from it yet.
Head up the stairs to the right and go left. Clear this area of Pantherons and Zwerg Scandroids, and loot the sphere for
4 Potions. Head down the other set of stairs, defeat the enemies there, loot the sphere for an
Iron Bangle, then jump over the debris by the bike to proceed.
Defeat the charging Pantherons and go right, and control will switch to Snow.
House of Stairs
Turn around and open the sphere for
2 Potions. Use the save point, kill the enemies beyond, then activate the switch.
Ambulatory
As Lightning, you'll get a primer on Shrouds. Use the save point
ahead, then defeat the charging Pantherons. Head up the stairs, kill the
enemies up there, and get the
Phoenix Down from the sphere. Take
out the Myrmidon guarding the stairs as you did the first one, then go
up. Defeat the enemies up top, open the sphere for a
Gladius for
Lightning, then go up the next set of steps to face a Pantheron and a
Myrmidon. Don't forget to heal if your HP gets too low in that fight.
After another cutscene, you'll be in control of Snow again.
House of Stairs, Part 2
Turn around and go straight to a sphere containing
2 Potions.
Turn back around and go forward. Defeat the Pantheron and Zwerg
Scandroids, then activate the switch. Head up the steps and get on the
lift.
Sacrarium, Part 2
Defeat the enemies here and go up the stairs to the right. Turn right
at the top, defeat those Scandroids, and open the sphere for a
Fortisol. Turn around now and go straight to the next area.
Oblatorium
Save your game here, defeat the Pantherons, open the sphere for
100 gil, then proceed. Snow will join you here and help you defeat three Ghouls. Toss Hand Grenades to finish them off quickly.
Ambulatory, Part 2
Go left of the stairs, defeat the two Ghouls, then open the sphere for a
Power Wristband.
Equip it on Lightning and give her Iron Bangle to Sazh. Go up those
stairs you passed, defeat all the Ghouls up there if you like, and at
the top you'll face a Ghast. It's not particularly powerful, but it can
cast Fire, which hits you for 70+ damage.
Use the save point ahead and continue to the next area.
Nave
Plow through the Ghouls and two Ghasts (keep your HP up in that
battle!) here, get on the lift, head up the steps, watch the cutscene,
and then Snow will join you.
Anima's Throne
Take out the Ghasts, Ghoul, and Wights here, and open the sphere to the left for
5 Potions.
Save your game at the save point, use a Fortisol on your party, then
proceed into the corridor to face the Anima, your first real boss.
Boss: Anima
HP: 3,300
The Anima may look tough, but it's really a pushover. It dies
when you defeat its center, but it's worth killing its Left and Right
Manipulators, as the Anima will focus on reviving them for a short time,
allowing you to hammer it without retaliation.
The Manipulators each have 300 HP. Take them out with normal
attacks, and once they fall, go hard on the Anima. Once it revives its
Manipulators, defeat them again.
Remember to use Potions when your HP drops below the 100 mark and you should come out of this fight victorious.
|
Watch the cutscene, then save your game at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 3: Lake Bresha
The Waters Stilled
This chapter begins with a tutorial on the paradigm system. Stick
with the Relentless Assault paradigm until you're attacked by one of the
Ghasts. At that point, switch to the Solidarity paradigm to heal, then
switch back to Relentless Assault to finish off the Ghasts. You can now
open the Paradigm menu outside of battle and experiment with your
paradigms.
Head down the slope for a cutscene. You'll get a tutorial on the
Crystarium, so use the CP you've obtained so far to boost your stats for
each characters in whichever role they work best in.
Continue forward and go left at the fork. Kill the Ghouls and Ghasts in your way to reach a sphere containing a
Pearlwing Staff
for Vanille. Go back and take the right fork this time to reach a save
point. Proceed forward, kill the Ghast and Wights, then jump up to the
broken ledge to the right to find
7 Chipped Fangs. Keep moving forward, jumping up the debris, then look right for
200 gil.
Approach Snow now to trigger a cutscene and another tutorial, this one
on Command Execution. Use it to defeat these PSICOM fools.
Moving on, kill the group of Ghasts and Wights ahead, go right at the fork to obtain
5 Cie'th Tears, then take the left path down the hill.
Amid Timebound Waves
Defeat the four Breshan Bass here, then go left at the fork. Defeat the enemies there, then open the sphere for a
Silver Bangle.
Return to the fork and continue down the other path. Save at the save
point, then cross the bridge and head down and up the hills to find some
Pantherons to defeat. After they're dead, open the nearby sphere for a
Phoenix Down.
Turn around and head up the hill to find another sphere: this one contains
50 gil. Head down the hill now. Defeat the Pantherons ahead, then look left for
8 vials of Strange Fluid. Continue forward to where the path forks. Defeat the PSICOM Enforcers and Warden there, then take the left path to find a
Magician's Mark.
Take the right path now, save at the save point, and take a
moment to set up a few new paradigms in addition to Relentless Assault
and Solidarity:
- Commando/Ravager/Medic (Diversity)
- Ravager/Ravager/Ravager (Tri-Disaster)
- Ravager/Sentinel/Ravager (Mystic Tower)
- Ravager/Sentinel/Medic (Entourage)
Set your active paradigm to Solidarity. Now head down the hill.
A Silent Maelstrom
After the cutscene with Serah, you'll have to the Manasvin Warmech again, and this time it means business.
Boss: Manasvin Warmech
HP: 32,400
A tutorial accompanies this battle. Pay attention to the advice it
gives you about swapping between the Relentless Assault and Solidarity
paradigms when you want to focus on, respectively, attacking and
healing. Of course, we have new paradigms to choose from, if you
followed our advice.
The boss will start by hitting your party with Wave Cannon. If
you did as we suggested and are in the Solidarity paradigm, Vanille
should heal your party now. The boss then hits you with Crystal Rain,
which Vanille should also heal you from.
Switch to the Diversity paradigm now and start attacking. After
you manage to fill the Chain Gauge and Stagger the boss, switch to the
Tri-Disaster paradigm. Then you can really let loose with attacks.
Keep an eye out for the Manasvin Warmech's hatch to open. This
signals that it's about to use Wave Cannon/Crystal Rain again, so switch
paradigms to Entourage until the attacks are over. Then switch back to
Diversity, then to Tri-Disaster. Keep this up until you finally destroy
this bucket o' bolts.
|
Head downhill to the bridge, where the zone changes.
Encased in Crystal
Defeat the Breshan Bass here, then go right at the fork. Obtain the
6 vials of Strange Fluid
from the sphere, then drop down. Defeat the Pantherons, then take the
left path across the ravine. Open the spheres on the other side for
240 gil and
Deneb Duellers for Sazh, then go back and take the right path across the ravine to continue.
Defeat the Bloodfang Bass on the other side, then take the path right
leading down to more Bass to kill. Kill them, then open the sphere for
6 vials of Enigmatic Fluid.
Turn around and go back up the path, then take the other route around
to the right to reach a ship. Examine it and it will fire its weapon at
the wall on the other side of the nearby bridge, destroying it.
Before you cross the bridge, turn around and head up the slope to face four Pantherons guarding
7 Wicked Fangs.
Now cross the bridge, killing in the Bass on it, then save at the save
point on the other side and continue to a battle with an Alpha Behemoth,
where you'll get a tutorial on battle techniques. After using Libra on
the Behemoth, use a paradigm like Diversity to defeat it.
Check the dead-end path to the right for a
Librascope,
then follow the main path around to trigger a cutscene. Afterward, head
down the hill to face a couple PSICOM Trackers. Go left now and follow
that route to three Watchdrones. Defeat them, then go right at the fork.
Open the sphere for
2 Digital Circuits, then cross the bridge to face two more PSICOM trackers and a Ranger.
The Frozen Falls
Climb the cliff and go right at the fork to find
2 Paraffin Oils and
50 gil. Keep climbing, then go right and jump over the gap. Open the sphere in the dead-end for
3 Insulated Cablings,
then turn around and head in the other direction. Defeat the Watchdrone
and Ciconia Velocycle, then use the save point to save. Head forward to
trigger a cutscene. Now follow the ravine to the next zone, defeating
the three Watchdrones en route.
Mirrored Morass
Proceed to a sphere containing
30 gil, then keep going to find another sphere, this one holding
6 Begrimed Claws. Move on.
Gates of Antiquity
Head up the stairs and save your game at the first landing. Continue
up to face another Alpha Behemoth. Let it charge toward you and it will
stop short. When it turns around, attack it for a Preemptive Strike.
Check the alcove to the right for
600 gil, then head up the next
set of steps to face some Watchdrones and a PSICOM Ranger. Turn right
and check the back left corner of this open area for
2 Digital Circuits. Now take the main path up the ramp to the next zone.
Forgotten Commons
Go right and then right again to five
7 Begrimed Claws. Turn around and attack the PSICOM Rangers and Crusader, then the next group of the same enemies ahead. Look to the left for a
Spark Ring, then follow the main path to some stairs leading to the next zone.
A City No Longer
Open the sphere here for
3 Potions, then go right to find a
save point. Use it. Ignore Vanille's suggestion to use the shortcut and
go left instead. Take out the Pantherons and PSICOM soldiers as you
follow the path visible on your minimap around to a sphere containing
Millerite. Keep going to face some PSICOM fools and Pantherons.
At the fork, go up the stairs to the right and defeat the PSICOM Ranger and Tracker up there. Open the sphere for some
Ferroelectric Film. Drop down, defeat the PSICOM soldiers there, then move forward up the stairs to reach the next zone.
Remember: use that CP to boost your characters' stats in the
Crystarium! You should be getting close to filling everyone's board at
this point.
Echoes of the Past
Use the save point here, then check the area to the left for
2 Librascopes and the area to the right for a
Phoenix Down. If you haven't already done so, you're going to want to set up a few paradigms:
- Commando/Ravager/Ravager (Relentless Assault)
- Commando/Medic/Ravager (Diversity)
- Ravager/Ravager/Ravager (Tri-disaster)
- Ravager/Medic/Ravager (Thaumaturgy)
Set your active paradigm to Diversity, save your game, then head up the steps to face a two-part boss battle!
Boss: Garuda Interceptor
Part 1
HP: 8,000
The problem with the Garuda Interceptor is that it can easily Stagger
anyone in your party with its single- or multi-target attacks. That
said, it's still extremely weak, especially if you've been keeping up in
the Crystarium. Keep attacking the boss until you've gotten its chain
gauge to around 120%, then switch paradigms to Tri-disaster to get it
Staggered. Keep dealing blows until the second phase of the battle kicks
in.
Part 2
HP: 16,200
As before, start in the Diversity paradigm. You'll notice quickly
that your attacks don't deal much damage. This is because the boss is
using a barrier that is resistant to both physical and magical attacks.
To break this barrier, you must first Stagger the boss! Keep attacking
the Interceptor until it flies around in the air and uses its Hellstorm
Bolt attack, then switch to Tri-disaster. Keep attacking until you push
it into Stagger. At that point, the battle is yours to win.
|
A Silent Maelstrom, Part 2
The Synergist role is available to Sazh now, and the Saboteur role is available to Vanille.
As Snow you must take out several PSICOM soldiers. You'll then
get a tutorial on battling Eidolons. Basically, you must attack an
Eidolon until you fill its gestalt gauge, then press the button
displayed onscreen to claim victory.
You must now take out the two Shiva Sisters, Nix and Styria.
Switch to the Sentinel paradigm and keep using Steelguard. Styria will
keep healing you throughout the battle, so don't worry about dying. Keep
using Steelguard until you see the "Gestalt Mode" prompt on the right
side of your screen. Hit the appropriate button to win the battle and
obtain the Shiva Eidolon.
Afterward, you'll get to meet a new character, Fang. Watch the scenes that bring this chapter to a close.
Chapter 4: Vile Peaks
Dismal Dunescape
Defeat the Pantherons that attack you at the start of this chapter.
When you regain control, build up Sazh and Vanille's Crystarium, then
head forward on the path to trigger a scene. You'll then be controlling
Lightning and Hope and get a tutorial on the Synergist's role.
Save at the save point up the hill, build up your Crystarium
(focus Hope on the Synergist role) then jump over the debris to the
right to find a Thexteron to fight and a
Librascope in a sphere. Jump back over the debris and follow the main path to a Thexteron and two Pantherons.
Wrack and Ruin
Jump to the catwalk ahead and keep jumping to follow the main path.
Soon you'll find some Watchdrones to kill. They can mop the floor with
you if you're not careful, so start with the Supersoldier paradigm to
boost your defenses, then go nuts on the bots. Just ahead are more
Watchdrones and a Thexteron. A Pulsework Soldier awaits just beyond.
It's weak to lightning-based attacks, so switch to a paradigm that puts
Lightning in the Ravagar role. Build up the Chain Gauge until you
Stagger it, then keep attacking until it goes down. Now jump down the
cliff.
Another Man's Treasure
You're controlling Sazh and Vanille now and will receive a tutorial
on the Synergist role and three-way battles. Use the save point, then
head forward on the path to find some Watchdrones attacking a Pulsework
Soldier. Attack the Watchdrones first, but don't kill them until they've
almost defeated the Pulsework Soldier to make your job easier. Activate
the machine to open the path forward.
Kill the enemies ahead, then get ready for a 4-way battle ahead.
Attack the Watchdrones first. After that, open the sphere for a
Black Belt,
then activate the panel at the back of the tunnel. Continue forward to a
battle between Thexterons and Pulsework Soldiers. Focus on the
Pulsework Soldiers first. Press on to reach Hope.
Hop up the machinery and rocks here, take out the Pulsework Soldier, open the sphere for a
Ninurta weapon for Hope, then use the save point up the hill.
Defeat the Pulsework Soldier farther up, and the Incubi after that. Move forward to trigger a cutscene, then press on.
Munitions Necropolis
More Incubi await above in the figure-8 shaped area. Keep going up
the hill to face another Pulsework Soldier, then continue up to face
another one. Jump up the rocks to the circular area to the left to find a
Phoenix Down,
Metal Armband, and a save point.
Devastated Dreams
Return to the main path and head up to fight some Incubi and
Pulsework Soldiers, then save at the next save point. Head up the path
to reunite with Lightning.
Defeat the two Pulsework Soldiers up the path (this should be a lot
easier now that you've got Lightning and her Commando role in your party
again). Kill the Incubus and Succubus ahead, then hop up the rocks to
find more to kill. Activate the panel just after that last group to
create a new walkway.
Head up the steps and save your game at the save point, then kill
the nearby Incubi/Succubi. Check the little tunnel for a sphere
containing a
Librascope. Now continue and kill the group of
Incubi/Succubi after that. A little farther up are some Pulsework
Soldiers and a Succubus guarding an
Ember Ring. Continue up the rest of the path to reach a save point.
Here you should take a moment to set up some paradigms:
- Synergist/Commando/Saboteur (Bully)
- Ravager/Commando/Ravager (Relentless Assault)
- Ravager/Ravager/Medic (Thaumaturgy)
- Ravager/Ravager/Saboteur (Smart Bomb)
- Ravager/Ravager/Ravager (Tri-disaster)
Also, be sure to spend all your CP in the Crystarium (it should be
mostly filled by now). Move forward to trigger a cutscene that precedes
the next boss, the Dreadnought.
Boss: Dreadnought
Part 1
HP: 17,940
Like the fight with the Garuda Interceptor, this is a two-part
battle. Begin with the Bully paradigm and have Sazh cast Faith on
himself and Vanille, and Bravery on Lightning. Vanille should be hitting
the Dreadnought with Deshell and Deprotect (if not, you may have to
cast Libra on the boss a couple times). After casting your buffs and
when Lightning has gotten the boss's Chain Gauge up fairly high, swap
paradigms to Tri-disaster and go to town with attacks. Keep an eye out
for the Dreadnought's energy attack that hits a character for around 300
HP of damage and use a Potion when it stops attack to emit some steam.
Continue the assault until you move to the second phase of the fight.
Part 2
HP: 44,850
This phase is just like the first, except that the Dreadnought
gains the ability to emit a ring of fire around it, damaging characters
for around 70-80 HP of damage. As before, start with the Bully paradigm,
cast Faith on Sazh and Vanille and Bravery on Lightning. Let Vanille
debuff the boss while Lightning raises the Chain Gauge. Switch to
Tri-disaster to lay on the damage, and use a Potion (or switch to the
Thaumaturgy paradigm) to heal when necessary. After you Stagger it, keep
attacking. Once the Stagger meter runs out, switch to Bully, rebuff
everyone in your party, then repeat these tactics to Stagger the boss a
second time. You should defeat it shortly after the second Stagger.
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Lightning can now use the Medic role and Sazh can use the Commando
role. Role and Accessory nodes have also been added to the Crystarium.
You can also upgrade weapons and accessories now at save points.
Head up the path to reach a save point.
Scavenger's Trail
Move on to trigger a cutscene, after which you'll be fighting some
PSICOM soldiers. Take them out (switch to the Double Dose paradigm to
heal), then make sure you've got the War & Peace paradigm at your
disposal. Have Lightning start spending her points in the Medic role to
build toward the Accessory and Launch nodes. Hope should be working
toward Ravager, then Synergist, then Medic.
You'll be facing Corps Gunners and Regulars on your way through
this area. When the path forks in a small ring, go left and check the
alcove for
3 Fiber-optic Cables. At the next ring, go right to find a
Librascope. Just ahead is an Uhlan, which is weak to lightning and water and shouldn't be tough to beat. Use the save point just past it.
MINIGAME: After a couple PSICOM Trackers cause a fuss ahead,
you'll take control of a Pulse Armament. Press the button marked
onscreen (X for PS3 and A for 360) to deliver a sweeping blow toward the
enemies here. Try to move toward each group of enemies carefully so
that you take out as many as possible in one sweeping blow. Ten enemies
will come in the first wave; wait for them to group around you, then use
three sweeping blows. Nine enemies come in the second wave, and you
have three power charges to use against them. Finally, 12 will come in
the third wave, followed by four more from the nearby hatches. When you
jump down to this last area, chase the enemeis to the right until
they're grouped around you. Use a sweeping blow, then wait for the
remaining enemies to gather before using a second sweep. Head to the
bridge now and wait for the final eight enemies to retreat as far as
they can, then approach them and use your final sweep to take them out.
Doing well here earns you greater rewards in the two treasure spheres just afterward. See the chart below for more info.
| Pulse Armament Minigame
|
| Sweeping Blow Kills
| Reward (Gil)
|
| 40+
| 999
|
| 25-39
| 300
|
| 24 or less
| 100
|
| Total Kills
| Reward (Item)
|
| 35+
| Spark Ring
|
| 25-34
| Thickened Hide (x20)
|
| 24 or less
| Sturdy Bone (x10)
|
Move on, opening the next sphere for
2 Electrolytic Capacitors,
using the save point, and taking out the PSICOM Ranger first whenever
you encounter one to avoid having him cast Protect or Shell on his
buddies. When the path forks, go right, defeat the Uhlan and PSICOM
soldier, and cross the bridge for a
Spark Ring. When the path forks again, go right for a
Phoenix Down.
Fight your way to the next save point, where you should take a
moment to spend your CP. If you haven't already, create the following
paradigms:
- Medic/Synergist (Symbiosis)
- Commando/Medic (War & Peace)
We also suggest opening the Settings menu and switching Battle Speed
from Normal to Slow. Set your active paradigm to Symbiosis, equip
whatever Spark Rings you have, save your game, then move on to face
another Eidolon: Odin.
To fill Odin's Gestalt Gauge, you must heal the wounded, but also
attack. Odin starts the fight with an onslaught of attacks. Let Hope
cast Protect and Shell on both himself and Lightning while Lightning
heals, then switch to the War & Peace paradigm. Attack Odin until he
uses his Ullr's Shield ability, then switch to the Dualcasting
paradigm. Keep this up, filling his gauge until he starts attacking
again, then switch back to War & Peace. Keep alternating between the
two (Dualcasting when he uses Ullr's Shield and War & Peace when
he's not) until you're able trigger Gestalt Mode before the Doom counter
drops to zero.
Afterward, the Odin Eidolon is yours! Head to the end of the path
to trigger a cutscene and an Eidolon tutorial. Use your Eidolon to win
the battle you're thrust into now. Control will then shift to Sazh and
Vanille.
Scrap Processing
Create the Undermine paradigm (Ravager/Saboteur), which you'll want
to use whenever you encounter a Pulsework Soldier, then turn around head
back up the path to find a
Phoenix Down. Move forward on the
path to reach a save point. Use it, then press on. There are Bombs to
fight in this zone, so be sure to kill them first whenever you encounter
them to avoid their powerful Self-Destruct attack.
Activate the lever on the device ahead to create a walkway
forward. Note the panels here: we're going to come back to activate them
later. Follow the path around until it forks, and go right there to
find a sphere containing an
Auric Amulet. Move on to reach another save point. Follow the path forward and you'll eventually reach another sphere: this one holds an
Ember Ring.
A little ways beyond you'll reach a machine with four control panels. Open the sphere to the right for a
Phoenix Down, then activate all four panels on the outer walkways to open the way forward. Open the sphere on the inner walkway for a
Fortisol,
then fight your back to those panels you passed near the start of the
area. The first panel (closest to the start of the zone) opens the path
to a sphere containing
8 Iron Shells and is guarded by three
Bombs and a Pulsework Soldier; use a Fortisol before entering this
battle to ensure your survival! The second panel leads to a sphere
containing
6 Vibrant Ooze and is guarded by three Pulsework
Soldiers. The last panel leads to an elevator that takes you to a
platform patrolled by two Pulsework Soldiers and three Gremlins. There's
no sphere here, so only fight them if you want the CP.
Back at the four-paneled machine, move forward to the gate to
fight two Bombs and two Pulsework Soldiers. If a Bomb looks like it's
about to explode, switch to the War & Peace paradigm. Move on and
open the last sphere for
300 gil. At this point, consider
removing your party's accessories, as Sazh and Vanille don't take part
in the next chapter and you may want to let others equip them.
Ahead, you'll take control of Snow. Head to the building in the
middle of the area and talk to Lebreau, then head to the pier to end the
chapter.
Chapter 5: Gapra Whitewood
Ecological Research
Begin this chapter by spending all your CP. Lightning should unlock
her Accessory and Launch nodes, and Hope should be plowing through the
Synergist role to unlock Barfrost, Barfire, and Accessory. Also, create
the War & Peace paradigm (Medic/Commando). Battle through the Frag
Leeches and Texterons past the save point to reach an elevator, and ride
it up.
Canopy Wardwalks
Use this save point, then continue battling enemies until you reach a fork. Go left and fight the enemies there to find
3 Antidotes
(though you'll have to fight an Alpha Behemoth to get to them; make
sure to get a preemptive strike on it and use the Slash & Burn
paradigm so Lightning Launches the beast), then go back and take the
other path to the next elevator.
Research Corridor
WikiCheats Tip
At the start of this zone is a group of six Frag Leeches. Defeating
them earns you 156 CP. Want to really rack up the CP? Defeat the Frag
Leeches, ride the nearby elevator down, then ride it back up. The
Leeches will respawn, allowing you to defeat them and earn another 156
CP. Keep this up to earn massive amounts of CP!
|
Save at the save point, then head up the path, battling more enemies en route to a sphere containing a
Hawkeye, a weapon for Hope.
Press on through the next zone (Bulkhead Fal'Cie), save at the save point, then ride the nearby elevator.
Bioweapon Research Site D
Energy barriers block the way forward, so you must defeat all
monsters in the immediate area to get past them. You face Silver Lobos
first. They can poison you, but ignore the ailment and focus on taking
them out fast.
Crawlers are next. They're weak against Fire, so use that to your advantage. Don't forget to open the sphere for
6 Antidotes.
After that you'll have a Feral Behemoth on your hands. Use the Slash
& Burn paradigm first to get its Chain Gauge to around 40%, then
shift to Dualcasting to Stagger it. Switch back to Slash & Burn and
use Lightning's Launch ability to help finish it off.
Bioweapon Research Site K
Ten Crawlers await at the top of the climb. You'll want to switch to
War & Peace after your initial assault, because you're definitely
going to need to heal from the onslaught of enemy attacks coming your
way. Use Lightning's Blitz to hit multiple enemies at once.
You'll get a cutscene after that, after which Lightning is the party leader.
Field Trial Range S
Jump down and use the save point here. Go right at the next fork and
kill the two Silver Lobos. This grants you access to a sphere containing
a
Star Pendant. Continue forward on the main path to reach the next zone.
Field Trial Range N
Press on (can't go anywhere else!). You'll soon encounter a Barbed
Specter, which is weak against Fire. Start with the Slash & Burn
paradigm, then switch to Dualcasting to finish it off. Open the sphere
behind it for an
Edged Carbine for Lightning.
Continue up to face another Feral Behemoth. Defeat it as you did
the first one and you'll win an item that opens up the Magical Moments
shop at save points.
Environmental Regulation
Save at the save point, then head forward and look left. Walk through
the thin gap at either end of the energy barrier and kill the Feral
Behemoth there. This lowers the barrier. Open the sphere for
1,500 gil, then head forward.
At the fork, go right. A Feral Behemoth and some Crawlers will
attach each other here, so join the battle. Focus on killing the
Crawlers first. Afterward, open the sphere for
8 Fragrant Oils.
Return to the main path and head left before approaching the
waypoint marker. A barrier will go up and you'll have to battle a Feral
Behemoth and a Barbed Specter to lower it. Take them out, but be ready
to heal, as this is a deadly duo. After the fight, open the sphere in
the area for a
Watchman's Amulet. Head to the waypoint marker now and ride the nearby elevator up.
Bioweapons Maintenance
Use the save point, then move forward to take out a group of Silver
Lobos (use Slash & Burn against them and War & Peace to heal).
There are some Corps soldiers to deal with after that (use ice on them),
and then a Milvus Velocycle. Use Slash & Burn against it, then
switch to Dualcasting to Stagger it. Keep fighting until you reach a
sphere containing an
Ethersol and another save point. Take a
moment to spend your CP and create the Symbiosis paradigm
(Medic/Synergist). Set Supersoldier as your active paradigm. Save your
game, defeat the Velocycle and Corps Marksmen ahead, then proceed to the
elevator to trigger your next boss fight.
Boss: Aster Protoflorian
HP: 129,600
The problem with the Aster Protoflorian is that it can change
elemental strengths and weaknesses on the fly. This makes for a tough
battle that will keep you on your toes. Begin this difficult fight by
scanning the boss with Libra a couple times. Hope should be casting
buffs on your party, but you should still switch to the Symbiosis
paradigm whenever you need to heal. The Aster Protoflorian begins the
fight with the ability to halve all elemental damage, but it will soon
switch to a different elemental alignment via its "Exoproofing" ability.
For example, if it uses Exoproofing Fire, it will become strong to fire
and weak to ice.
Once you're Protected and Shelled, switch to the Slash & Burn
paradigm and build up the boss's Chain Gauge to around 30%. Switch to
Dualcasting at that point to build the gauge toward the Stagger point,
and switch to War & Peace when you need to heal. When you manage to
Stagger the boss, shift to Slash & Burn and attack; Lightning should
be Launching the boss every round. When the first Stagger ends, shift
paradigms to Symbiosis to get your Protect and Shell buffs back in
place. Build up the Chain Gauge as you did the first time, starting with
Slash & Burn and switching to Dualcasting at 30%.
The boss will use attacks more often once you've knocked off half
its health, so you'll need to use War & Peace more at that point if
you want to stay alive. Do so whenever a character's HP gets near the
50% mark. Keep up the Dualcasting attacks until you manage to Stagger
the boss again, then switch to Slash & Burn to finish it off.
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ALTERNATIVE METHOD -- Boss: Aster Protoflorian
An alternative method is very simple and straight forward, but
requires perfect timing. Start off by using War and Peace to give the
boss' Stagger a quick jump. You'll want to keep Hope as a medic for 90%
of this battle because the boss' attacks are random and getting caught
off guard can easily get you killed.
After your first attack using War & Peace, you'll want to
switch between Dualcasting, Yin & Yang, and War & Peace to get
the boss' Stagger up to max. However, only use Dualcasting after your
characters have been healed good after a War & Peace turn.
NOTE: If your HP is below 450, you are prone to death at
any moment, so be careful. You may even have to use a potion or two
during some of the boss' more aggressive assaults.
While the boss is in Stagger mode, you will want to switch to
Slash & Burn to keep it in the air. Dualcasting during Stagger
leaves you open to attacks and you will waste time having to heal during
those time critical moments. You'll want to deal as much damage as
possible during this time and it will take two full Stagger sessions to
finish it.
If you properly switch between War & Peace, Dualcasting and
Yin & Yang, you should have no problems defeating this boss. There
is a possibility that Hope may die sometime during the fight however, as
his choices for healing are not always correct, so keep a few Phoenix
Downs in your inventory just in case.
|
Save your game at the save point, then head to the waypoint to end
the chapter. Before doing so, you may want to unequip Lightning and Hope
of their accessories, as they won't take part in the next chapter.
Chapter 6: Sunleth Waterscape
The Old Growth
First thing's first: get to spending that CP! Have Vanille start by
completing the Ravager role, then move on to unlock Poison in the
Saboteur role and Esuna and Cura in Medic. Sazh should try to unlock his
second Accessory slot and the Synergist Role Level crystal, then unlock
Blitz under Commando. Also, create the Undermine paradigm
(Saboteur/Ravager), and equip Vanille with the Tungsten Bangle.
Save at the save point and move out. When you encounter the
Flandragora here, use Undermine and then Dualcasting on them (make sure
to use Libra on them the first time so your idiot ally knows to use fire
magic!). Use Slash & Burn on everything else. When the path forks,
go left to find
8 Mysterious Fluids. Get back on the main path and proceed.
Sun-dappled Trail
Soon you'll reach another sphere, which contains a
Belladonna Wand for Vanille. Use the save point just beyond. The next sphere contains a
Procyons weapon for Sazh. When the path forks again, go left first to find a
Doctor's Code. Continue on the main path to the next zone.
A Shimmering Sky
Save at the save point. You'll encounter an enemy in this area called
the Scalebeast, and its Shocking Breath attack can be particularly
devastating, so try to always get a preemptive strike on it. Use War
& Peace to heal from Shocking Breath, then keep attacking to Stagger
it. Use Undermine then to hit it with status ailments. After it
regenerates its carapace, shift paradigms to Slash & Burn to fill
its Chain Gauge to 50%, then use Dualcasting to get it Staggered again.
Defeating one of those things takes a long time, so feel free to
avoid any that aren't guarding spheres, like the first one you
encounter. Jump down to the left and defaet this one, then open the
sphere, which contains
15 Iron Shells. The two other spheres in this zone contain a
Librascope and
10 Scaled Wings.
Continue to Lake Shayra, where a cutscene will trigger. Afterward, go
to the waypoint by the water to reunite with Sazh, then follow the path
forward to a save point.
Rain-spotted Vale
The Climate Control Orbs will shift the weather in the following
sections between rain and sunshine, changing and respawning the enemies
you'll be facing. You'll face Mud Frogs, Hedge Frogs, and Scalebeasts
when it rains; and Wyverns and Flandragora when the sun's out. Gremlins
and Garchimacera will be present no matter the weather. When you face a
Mud Frog, kill it first or it'll keep summoning reinforcements. When you
face a Wyvern, cast Poison on it, buff your party with Bravery and
Faith, then use Slash & Burn and Dualcasting to take it out.
Keep it raining at the first orb, then switch to sunshine at the
second orb. Go right at the fork, take out the groups of Flandragora,
and open the sphere for a
Metal Armband. At the third orb, switch the weather back to rain.
When the path forks again, go left and hit the orb to switch to sunshine. Kill the Flandragora, open the sphere for an
Aqua Ring,
then switch back to rain. Continue forward to the final orb, and switch
the weather to sunshine. Fight through the enemies to earn CP, and
spend it. Try to earn enough to reach the Role Level crystals for
Vanille and Sazh before moving on to the next zone.
Hemmed in Stone
Use the save point here, spend any remaining CP, and set up your
paradigms. For the boss battle ahead you'll want Tide Turner
(Saboteur/Synergist), Slash & Burn, Dualcasting, and War &
Peace. You may also want to create the Symbiosis paradigm
(Medic/Synergist) for when you need extra protection in the upcoming
battle. Set Tide Turner as your active paradigm. Head up to face this
chapter's greatest threat: Enki and Enlil.
Boss: Enki & Enlil
Enki - HP: 75,600
Enlil - HP: 70,200
Begin by casting Deshell, Deprotect, and Poison on Enlil while
Sazh buffs you with Bravery and Faith. Use Libra on Enlil while you're
waiting for the buffs. Once all the buffs/debuffs are in place, shift
paradigms to Slash & Burn. Fill Enlil's Chain Gauge to 40%, then
switch to Dualcasting to get it into Stagger. Be ready to switch to War
& Peace or Symbiosis whenever a character's HP drops below the 60%
mark, and use Potions liberally!
Keep an eye out for Enlil to use its Bellow or Enraged abilities,
which give the boss status enhancements, and recast your debuffs. The
Trample attack is pretty devastating, and will necessitate a shift to
the War & Peace paradigm to heal up afterward. You'll also want to
stop and heal whenever Enki uses its Raging Torrent attack.
Continue battering on Enlil until it falls, then switch to Enki.
Use the same tactics you used to take down Enlil, and Enki will soon
follow.
|
There aren't anymore enemies ahead in this chapter, and Sazh and
Vanille won't participate in the next chapter, so feel free to remove
their accessories for your other party's use. Continue on the path to
the end to complete this chapter.
Chapter 7: Palumpolum
The Metrostile
Spend your CP, having Lightning working toward unlocking Overwhelm,
Thundara, and Blizzard under the Ravager role, and Smite under Commando.
Hope should work toward Thundara and Watera.
Fight through a couple groups of Corps Tranquifex, then check the dead-end behind the trucks to the right for
3 Fiber-optic Cables. Drop into the pipe by the fence and go left at the fork to find
3 Holy Waters.
Return to the main part of the pipe and follow it the rest of the way
out. You'll have some Corps Pacifex to deal with up top; like their
Tranquifex brethren, they're weak to thunder. When you encounter the
Falco Velocycle, hit it with Slash & Burn until its Chain Gauge is
40% full, then switch to Dualcasting to Stagger it. Be sure to Libra it
to learn its weakness to thunder.
Follow the pipe ahead into a much larger one. When you drop down, go right first and open the sphere for a
Librascope, then turn around and head forward to the next zone.
Nutriculture Complex
Use the save point after dropping down the ledges, then activate the
switch ahead to call a moving platform. Step aboard and ride it across,
then activate the floating switch on the left. Get back on the moving
platform and it will take you to a secret platform with two sphere. They
contain
4 Holy Waters and a
Phoenix Down.
Ride the platform back across and head up the stairs. The
Flanitors will do little else than heal each other, so just barrage them
with attacks until they eventually fall. Attack the Lucidon in this
area with Slash & Burn to fill 40% of its Chain Gauge, switch to
Dualcasting to Stagger it, then switch back to Slash & Burn to
Launch it. Better yet, just ignore it.
Move through this area until you reach another platform. Activate
the switch on the left, then ride the platform to another secret area
where you'll find an
Aqua Ring and
2 Mobius Coils. They're guarded by a Flanitor and a Lucidon, so take out the Flanitor first.
Ride the platform back, step off, then get back on to ride the
platform to the next section of the main path. Past the three Flanitors
head you'll find a sphere containing a
Warding Talisman. Ride the next platform at the end of the path, save at the save point, then get on the elevator.
The Agora/Pedestrian Terraces
As Snow, you'll find yourself in a battle along with Shiva. Use Autogestalt to get rid of the enemies, though you
will
need to use physical attacks to finish off the Orion. Orion will most
likely destroy you, so pause the game, select "Retry", and set up his
Crystarium first. Spend all your CP on Snow's Sentinel and Commando
roles, then Ravager. Equip him with the Doctor's Code, as you'll need
the extra boost for your Potions. After you take down the Orion, create
the Dualcasting (Ravager/Ravager) and Supersoldier (Commando/Synergist)
paradigms, save at the save point, and start moving.
Defeat the first group of enemies here, then head up into the
twisting crystal tunnel. The PSICOM Scavengers are the biggest threat
here, so take them out first. Same goes for PSICOM Predators. PSICOM
Bombadiers have lots of HP, so save them for last.
Move on into the Pedestrian Terraces zone, and go left past the
next crystal ramp to face a PSICOM Warlord and two Corps Pacifex (take
the Pacifex out first). The Warlord is a dangerous fellow, so when you
see that he's about to use Activate Manadrive, make sure the party is
fully healed! Use Supersoldier to build his Combo Gauge to 40%, then
switch to Dualcasting to Stagger him. Switch to Slash & Burn then so
Snow can Launch him. After he's dead, open the sphere for a
Fortisol, then return to the main path up the crystal ramp.
Go right at the top of the ramp and deal with the large number of
soldiers up there. Be sure to switch paradigms to War & Peace
whenever your HP starts to fall. Afterward, open the sphere for a
Paladin, a weapon for Snow.
Turn around and go back down the ramp and up on the main path.
When you jump down to the outer circle of the terraces, go left first.
Open the sphere for
4 Insulated Cabling. Turn around and take the path to a save point, and use it. Proceed into the next zone.
The Back Alleys
Here, Lightning is joined by a new character, Fang. First thing's
first: build up her Crystarium! Focus first on the Commando role's
Launch, Smite, and Adrenaline nodes, followed by Slowga and Accessory
under Saboteur. Also, create the War & Peace paradigm
(Commando/Medic), as well as Divide & Conquer (Saboteur/Commando).
The PSICOM soldiers here won't be much of a threat, but when you
encounter an Orion, use Divide & Conquer to inflict it with Slow,
then switch to Slash & Burn to finish it off.
Save at the save point, then fight your way forward to the
waypoint. There you'll pass into the Western Promenade and revert back
to Snow and Hope.
Western Promenade
Turn around and open the sphere in the back corner for
4 Holy Waters,
then move forward on the main path. Approach the first corner on the
left when the path forks and jump to the upper walkway; at the end of it
is a sphere containing
2 Incentive Chips. Drop down through the gap in the wall, and press on to the next zone, fighting every enemy for the CP.
Central Arcade/Eastern Promenade
Open the sphere here for a
Guardian Amulet, and use the save
point. Cross the bridge and battle through more enemies. Of note are
three PSICOM Aerial Sniper. Start with one round of Slash & Burn,
shift to Dualcasting to Stagger them, then switch back to Slash &
Burn to kill them. Keep on the one and only path until you reach the
next zone.
Rivera Towers
After dropping down the steps, check behind you for a sphere containing a
Shaman's Mark. Equip this accessory along with the Magician's Mark on the same character to seriously boost their Magic stat.
Head up to the end of the path and go right at the fork, jumping up to the ledge. Open the sphere for
3 Thrust Bearings, then proceed to the next fork. Go right there and head straight back to a sphere containing a
Vidofnir weapon for Hope.
Turn around now and go right when you can to continue forward.
There are numerous Falco Velocycles in the vicinity, so be cautious with
them. When you see one about to use its Gatling Gun attack, shift
paradigms to Lifeguard immediately so that Snow can use Provoke and keep
Hope alive.
Cross the roof and open the sphere in the right corner for some
Deceptisol,
then jump up. Watch out for the two PSICOM Aerial Snipers and a Falco
Velocycle, as that's a tough battle; you might want to use a Deceptisol
beforehand, then use Quake first thing to Stagger all three enemies
immediately (take out the Velocycle first). They can still rock your
world, so if you're having trouble, just use the Deceptisol to slip past
them. Go right on the thin path ahead and follow the railing around to a
sphere containing
2,000 gil, then turn around and return to the main path.
Continue forward into the building and follow the path to a save
point. Spend your CP, save your game, set your active paradigm to
Supersoldier (Commando/Synergist), then proceed to a boss battle ahead.
Boss: Ushumgal Subjugator
HP: 126,000
Begin by using Libra on the boss while letting Hope cast Barfire,
Protect, and Shell on you. Once those buffs are up, switch paradigms to
Slash & Burn.
When you get the boss's Chain Gauge 40% full, shift to
Dualcasting until you Stagger the boss, then work it over hard. If at
any point either of your characters' HP drops below 50%, switch to War
& Peace to heal.
Chances are you'll probably need to Stagger the Ushumgal Subjugator twice before you can defeat it.
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Western Promenade/Central Arcade
First, spend Fang and Lightning's CP, then turn around and follow the path back to a sphere containing
15 Bestial Claws.
The Orion and Lodestar Behemoths in this area can be tough, so start
with the Divide & Conquer paradigm to cast Slow on them.
Move on, staying to the right to reach another sphere, this one holding a
Gae Bolg
weapon for Fang. Head across the bridge ahead for a cutscene.
Afterward, take out the Corps soldiers, then get ready to deal with two
Orions. Open the next sphere up the ramp and in the right corner for an
Axis Blade for Lightning, then proceed to the waypoint.
Felix Heights
Save at the save point, then head up the left set of stairs and follow the wall to a sphere containing a
Tungsten Bangle. Kill the other enemies in the area and follow the left wall to another sphere, this one holding a
Black Belt. There's another save point ahead, so use it.
Before moving on, make sure you spend all your CP, as there's a rematch with the Ushumgal Subjugator just ahead.
Boss: Ushumgal Subjugator
HP: 378,000
The battle begins with just Hope versus this monstrosity. Don't even
think about trying to inflict damage. Just cast Libra on it until Fang
and Lightning join the fray.
There are two ways to defeat the Ushumgal Subjugator for the
second time: the safe way and the quick way. The quickest way of
defeating it is to first shift paradigms to Evened Odds. Let Fang cast
Slow on the boss while Hope buffs your party. Once you're buffed, shift
to Relentless Assault and pound the boss repeatedly, switching to
Solidarity (and also using Potions) when you need to heal. Once you
Stagger the boss, stick with Relentless Assault.
If you're having trouble defeating the boss that way, use the
Delta Attack paradigm as your primary offensive stance (after casting
Slow and buffing your party), and switch to Solidarity when you need to
heal. Use Relentless Assault when you Stagger the boss to get some
Launches in.
Either way, one attack you'll want to keep an eye out for is the
boss's Targeting ability. Once you see that it's about to use it, switch
to Solidarity, as you'll definitely need to heal afterward.
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Estheim Residence
Open the sphere ahead for a
Phoenix Down, then approach Hope
for a cutscene. Afterward, activate the television at the waypoint.
You'll be thrust into a battle with some PSICOM soldiers. Defeat them,
then save your game at the nearby save point.
PSICOM soldiers will respawn endlessly through the house, so
don't bother trying to kill them all (plus the CP they give is pretty
lousy). Open the two spheres in the halls for an
Ethersol (immediately to the right of your starting position) and a
Brawler's Wristband
(at the far end of the hallway). Spend any remaining CP, set your
active paradigm to Evened Odds, then head to the waypoint to face this
chapter's final boss.
Boss: Havoc Skytank
HP: 441,000
Let Hope buff your party while you use a Librascope to reveal the
Havoc Skytank's five targets. You're going to want to destroy the Havoc
Skytank's four sub-systems first: the Portside Hull, Starboard Hull,
Portside Turret, and Starboard Turret. Go after the two turrets first.
Shift to the Delta Attack paradigm to do your attacking, and use the
Solidarity paradigm when you need to heal. As you destroy each of the
boss's components, it will explode and deal damage to its core.
Once you destroy all four sub-systems, switch back to Evened Odds
to recast your buffs, then switch to Relentless Assault to stagger it.
You're still going to want to shift to Solidarity and use Potions often
to heal, as the boss will permanently use its Main Cannon from here on.
Keep up the attacks and it should fall shortly.
Chapter 8: Nautilus
Nautilus Station/Concourse
Crack open the Crystarium and you'll see that the CP cost of nodes is
much higher than before. Have Sazh purchase Haste under Synergist, then
move on with the Commando role while Vanille works toward Dispel under
Saboteur and Raise under Medic.
Save your game at the save point and move toward the waypoints,
triggering cutscenes at each until you reach the Nautilus Concourse.
There, activate the Nautilift at the waypoint to reach the park area of
the Nautilus.
Park Square/Chocobo Corral
Emerge from this alcove, watch the cutscene, and check the alcove farthest to the right to find a
Phoenix Down. Head to the waypoint in the Chocobo Corral for a cutscene.
You must find Sazh's chocobo! There are four places it will hide, so check these locations (in order) to find it:
- In the flock of sheep to the right of the fountain.
- On the balloon cart.
- Above the fountain.
- By the large group of chocobos in the grass.
After you find it, open the sphere in the Corral for a
Star Pendant. Now follow the only path forward to the waypoint.
The Mall/Clock Tower
Save at the save point and get ready to take part in battles again.
You'll be facing Corps Gunners, Zwerg Metrodroids, and Orions. Stick
with the Slash & Burn paradigm unless you face an Orion, in which
case start with Undermine (Ravager/Saboteur) to debuff it, and switch to
Dualcasting to Stagger. Along the way in this switchback heavy area
you'll find three spheres. They contain, in order,
Spica Defenders, a
Guardian Amulet, and a
Healer's Staff.
The Guardian Amulet is at the end of the dead-end to the right of the
next save point, and the Healer's Staff is at the end of the dead-end to
the left of the save point.
Before moving on past the save point, take some time to grind.
You'll want to be fighting the group of five Zwerg Metrodroids around
the sphere to the left of the save point in the Clock Tower zone. Defeat
them for 640 CP, then trek back to the opened sphere in The Mall.
Return to the Clock Tower and the Metroidroids will have respawned. Keep
this up to earn lots of CP for the Crystarium.
When you're ready to move on, set your active paradigm to Tide
Turner (Synergist/Saboteur), then head past the save point to face a
boss.
Boss: Midlight Reaper
HP: 100,800
Start by using Libra on the Midlight Reaper while Vanille casts
Imperil and Deprotect on the boss. Sazh should then cast Haste on the
party, as well as any combination of Protect, Shell, Bravery, or Faith.
After buffing your party and debuffing the boss sufficiently, switch to the Dualcasting paradigm to Stagger the boss.
After this Stagger ends, the boss will "release its arm
restraints." Whenever you see the "Priming Main Cannon" notice from now
on, make sure your HP is completely full. Switch to a paradigm with a
Medic if necessary. When the attack passes, heal up, switch to Slash
& Burn, and start building the Chain Gauge again. Switch to
Dualcasting to fill it.
Whenever Imperil ends, recast it.
|
Go back to the save point and save, then move on to the next zone.
Fiendlord's Keep
Equip Sazh with any Ember Rings you've got, then head to the waypoint to trigger an Eidolon battle with Brynhildr.
Begin in the Tide Turner paradigm. Cast Vigilance and then Haste
on both of your party members, then shift to War & Peace to heal any
lost HP. Switch to Dualcasting now to start building up Brynhildr's
Chain Bonus. Switch back to War & Peace whenever you need to heal.
Keep this up and Brynhildr should be yours well before the Doom timer
ends. Just be ready to hit Square (PS3) or X (XB360) to trigger Gestalt
Mode when the bar has filled!
Thus ends Chapter 8.
Chapter 9: The Palamecia
Short-field Landing Deck
As always, it's time to spend some CP! Lightning should unlock the
Ravager role's Aero spell, then move toward Watera, then switch to the
Medic role and work toward Raise and Renew. Hope should unlock Veil and
Boon under Synergist, Blizzara under Ravager, then work toward the
Medic's role level. Fang should unlock Steelguard under Sentinel, Dispel
under Saboteur, the first three Commando abilities, then Curse and
Cursega under Saboteur.
Head up to the waypoint and speak to Rygdea to depart. When you
regain control, you'll find yourself in a battle against two PSICOM
Raiders and a PSICOM Infiltrator. Go after the Raiders first. Afterward,
make sure the party is wearing suitable accessories, and create the
Discretion paradigm (Medic/Medic/Commando) for use when you need to
focus on healing or recovering from serious status ailments, and
Diversity (Ravager/Medic/Commando) or Tireless Charge
(Commando/Medic/Commando) when you want to stay on the offensive but
need light healing.
Save at the save point afterward, then head up to face another group of enemies..
After you jump up, activate the switch, ride the elevator, jump up again, then go right first to find
4 Digital Circuits. Turn around and follow the path to the next zone.
External Berths
You'll find Deckdrones and PSICOM Dragoons patrolling this area. Use
Relentless Assault to beat them down as quickly as you can, starting
with the Dragoons whenever they're paired with another enemy type.
Turn right and head to the end of the path to find a
Millerite,
then turn around and use the save point ahead. Follow the point to the
point where you must jump up again. Go right first and open the sphere
for
3 Incentive Chips, then turn around. Proceed to another jump point. Go left and open the sphere for
3 Silicone Oils.
Keep moving through the rest of this zone to reach the Crew Corridors.
Crew Corridors
There are PSICOM Huntresses and Vikings in this zone. Use the
Relentless Assault paradigm to finish them off. You can Launch the
Vikings once they're Staggered. Kill Huntresses last, as they halve
physical and magic damage with their buffs. When you face groups of
Huntresses and Raiders, use the Diversity paradigm until you take out
the Raiders, then switch to Bully to debuff the Huntress(es). Finish
them off with Relentless Assault.
Save your game at the save point here, then follow the path down
and take a right when you can. Open the sphere to the left for a
Lifesaber weapon for Lightning, and follow the path to another sphere, this one containing an
Ember Ring.
Keep going to reach another save point. When you face the two
Huntresses and a Viking ahead, start with the Bully paradigm and debuff
one of the Huntresses, then defeat her with the Diversity paradigm. Do
the same with the second Huntress, and finally the Viking (opting for
Relentless Assault over Diversity). Open the sphere containing a
Pandoran Spear for Fang at the end of the path.
If you have the time or inkling, go back through this zone and External Berths to grind for CP. Otherwise, move on!
Cargo Access
You'll be briefly controlling Sazh and Vanille now, so spend some
time spending their CP. Have Sazh unlock Boon under Synergist, Scourge
and Jeopardize under Commando, then work toward the Commando Role Level.
Have Vanille work toward unlocking Renew, Raise, and Medic Role Level.
Also, create the Undermine paradigm (Ravager/Saboteur) for use against
the Flanborgs in this area.
Activate the switch next to the bulkhead door to pass through.
Head down the corridor and make a right, then another right. Open the
bulkhead doors there, then open the sphere beyond for a
Royal Amulet. Now turn around and head to the other end of the corridor, where it turns left. Open the sphere by the waypoint for
12 Muddy Ooze, then open the bulkhead doors nearby.
Rotary Shaft
Back to Lightning & Co. Save at the save point.
The Rotary Shaft consists of three concentric rings, each
connected to the next via four bridges. There are two spheres in the
center ring (containing a
Rhodochrosite and a
Perfect Conductor) and two spheres in offshoots of the outermost ring (these contain a
White Cape and
Pain Dampener).
You'll have to battle enemies to reach all of them. Of note are the
Vespid Soldiers. If they're fighting alongside multiple Vespid Soldiers
or a Thermadon, shift paradigms to Diversity when they attack with
Aeroga.
When you've looted the four spheres here, head to the waypoint on
the outer ring's offshoot and control will switch to Sazh and Vanille
again.
Primary Engine Bay
Save at the save point ahead, then go left around the outer ring to reach a sphere containing
8 Segmented Carapaces. Head to the next bridge on your right and cross it to the center section, where you'll find another sphere containing a
Phoenix Down.
Head to the waypoint to trigger a scene and a battle. Take out
the Vespid Soldier first. Use the Undermine paradigm to help weaken the
Thermadon.
Starboard Weather Deck
You'll control Lightning & Co. again now. Save at the save point,
then turn around and battle the enemies to reach a sphere in the corner
containing a
Whistlewind Scarf.
The Delta Attack paradigm, with Fang playing the part of the
Sentinel, will come in handy as you trek through this zone when you
battle large numbers of Deckdrones. They can combine to use a Tornado
Kick that can kill a character instantly, if enough Deckdrones take
part. You can also use Delta Attack against the large group of PSICOM
Dragoons near the end of the zone.
Stay to the right on this jagged path to reach a sphere holding a
Perfect Conductor.
Head down the ramp and up the next to reach another save point. Before
moving along on the main path, head down the dead end to the right of
the save point to find
13 Barbed Tails.
Go down the ramp by the save point to reach the blasters. Run
down the one farthest away from the last save point to move down into
the lower area, where you'll find a sphere: it contains
300 gil. Go back up and fight your way to the back right corner to find a
Spark Ring.
Equip that and any other Spark Rings you have, and make sure you have
the Bully, Relentless Assault, and Diversity paradigms ready. Set Bully
as your active paradigm, then head to the waypoint to face a boss.
Boss: Kalavinka Striker
Part 1
HP: 108,000
Cast Slow and Curse on the boss, then shift paradigms to
Relentless Assault to Stagger it. Switch to Diversity when you need to
heal. Before you know it, you'll have beat the Kalavinka Striker!
Part 2
HP: 122,400
Of course, a boss that easy was too good to be true. Luckily, the
same tactics you used in the first half of the battle apply here. Watch
out for the boss's Hellstorm Bolt, which takes a sizeable chunk of HP
from its target, and heal afterward.
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Bridge Access
Have Lightning equip the Soulfont Talisman and Blessed Talisman that
you win by defeating the Kalavinka Striker. You also have the option of
swapping new characters into the party, but we recommend you stick with
Lightning, Hope, and Fang for the majority of the game from this point
on. This allows you to focus on building these three characters as you
see fit, while your three other allies become your specialists.
Use the save point, then activate the console to the left of it
to form a bridge to the platform ahead. You'll do this through this
entire zone. There are six rows of three platforms, all connected by
these bridges you activate, and there are treasure spheres on certain
platform. See the map below for more detail.
When you encounter a PSICOM Destroyer, always defeat it first in a
group. PSICOM Reavers are weak only to the earth element, so Ravagers
aren't that much help here; when you see one, create the Tireless Charge
paradigm (Commando/Medic/Commando) to maximize damage during the
Stagger period.
When you're done collecting the treasure you want (at the very
least grab the Gold Bangle for its HP boost), head to the platform
marked "End" on the map and save your game there.
Take a moment to spend your CP. If you don't have enough to buy
the Role Level crystals for your three main characters, go back and
grind until you do, or until you're at least close to purchasing them.
Equip Lightning with two Tungsten Bangles, and the Gold Bangle on Hope.
Also, set up the Hero's Charge paradigm (Medic/Synergist/Commando), make
sure you have the Discretion paradigm (Medic/Medic/Commando), and set
Bully as your active paradigm.
When you're ready, save again and head up to the waypoint.
Bridge
Boss: Barthandelus
HP: 462,000
In addition to its core, the Barthandelus has four components to its
armor that you must destroy if you hope to survive the battle. The Left
Pauldron is weak to lightning, the Left Ailette is weak to fire, the
Right Pauldron is weak to ice, and the Right Ailette is weak to water.
All have 50,400 HP.
After tossing a Librascope, begin in the Bully paradigm to cast
Slow on the boss and Shell, Protect, and Veil buffs on your party. Once
those are in place, shift paradigms to Diversity (or Relentless Assault
if you're feeling cocky) as you start taking out the four components.
Use their elemental weaknesses to take them out one by one.
When all four components are down, Barthandelus's core will be
susceptible to damage. Shift paradigms to Bully to reinstate your buffs
(and debuffs on the boss), then shift between Relentless Assault and
Diversity until you've Staggered the boss. Hit it hard at that point.
After the first Stagger, the Barthandelus will use its Destrudo
attack, which is absolutely devastating. Destrudo also resets its Chain
Gauge, even if the boss is Staggered. When you see (and hear) it
powering up for this, immediately shift to the Discretion paradigm and
make sure every party member is at full HP, or you will pay the price.
Once you're getting near to full HP, shift to Diversity so Hope can
finish the job while Lightning and Fang continue the attack. When you're
at full HP, shift again to Relentless Assault and let Barthandelus have
it. If you strike it enough times before it gets off the Destrudo
attack, you'll significantly lower the damage the attack deals on your
party!
After the Destrudo attacks goes off, shift to Discretion heal
again, then shift to Diversity so Hope heals Lightning and Fang while
those two continue to pound on the boss until it falls. Don't worry if
it casts Doom on your party; you should be able to defeat it well before
it runs down.
Chapter 10: Fifth Ark
Upper Traverse
As we mentioned in the previous chapter, you'll want to consider who
will be included in your primary party. We believe Lightning, Fang, and
Hope are your best contenders, and we will write this guide from this
point on as if you were using them.
Also, all roles are available to all characters now. Lightning's
primary role should be as a Ravager, Fang as a Commando, and Hope as a
Medic, though other roles will certainly come into play. Lightning
should focus on the Commando and Medic sub-roles. Fang's sub-roles
should be Sentinel and Saboteur. Hope's should be Synergist and Ravager.
Take a moment to spend CP. Have Fang buy every Commando crystal
before moving on to Sentinel. Everyone should be working toward those
Role Level crystals. Also, you'll want these six paradigms, written for
the party of Lightning/Fang/Hope:
- Relentless Assault (Ravager/Commando/Ravager)
- Diversity (Ravager/Commando/Medic)
- Evened Odds (Medic/Saboteur/Synergist)
- Protection (Medic/Sentinel/Synergist)
- Delta Attack (Commando/Sentinel/Ravager)
- Solidarity (Commando/Sentinel/Medic)
Time to move out. Save at the save point and follow the tunnel until you get a prompt; answer "Yes" to proceed.
Vestibular Hold
Head up the stairs for a cutscene and an event battle against two
Pulsework Knights. Stagger them to lower their defenses. Afterward, you
will unlock the ability to spend CP on any role you choose.
Open the sphere on the right after going down the first set of steps for a
Hero's Amulet.
Watch out for Circuitrons in this area; they're like Bombs in that
they'll Self-destruct if you don't destroy them quickly. Follow the path
up the stairs ahead. You'll see a group of two Circuitrons and a
Pulsework Knight. Dash up the nearby steps before they reach you.
They'll turn around, allowing you to get a preemptive strike on them.
Now go down the set of stairs to the left to find a sphere containing
8 Bomb Shells, guarded by three Circuitrons.
Go back up the stairs, turn left, and enter the tunnel. Take it to a save point, and use it before moving on to the next zone.
Lower Traverse
Couple new enemies here. Kill Phosphoric Oozes quickly before they
Merge to become a larger, much more powerful enemy, the Alchemic Ooze.
The Noctiulcale here aren't that dangerous alone, but in numbers can be
lethal, as they do nothing but absorb HP. Use the Delta Attack paradigm
against groups of five or more.
Enter the far-left dead-end first to find a
Saint's Amulet,
then return to the main room and enter the left of the two long tunnels
(the right is a dead-end). You'll fight both Noctilucale and Phosphoric
Oozes there, so use the Solidarity paradigm against them to stay alive,
and kill the Oozes first.
When you reach the tunnel's end, go right and jump up to find a dead-end with
10 Medicinal Oils
being guarded by ten Noctilucale. Before fighting them, make a
temporary paradigm of Commando/Commando/Ravager (Aggression), and try to
get a preemptive strike on them. You should be able to kill them
extremely quickly and earn 640 CP in the process. This is a great group
of enemies to kill when grinding for CP. Just make four jumps back
toward the tunnel, then return and they'll have respawned.
Moving on, take the path left of the tunnel's exit around to an intersection. Go right first to find a
Rainbow Anklet, then head in the opposite direction to reach a save point. Use it, then head through the door at the waypoint.
High Conflux
More new enemies here: the Stikini and Skata'ne work together to beat
you down, with the Stikini casting debuffs on you while the Skata'ne
attacks. Kill the Stikini first, then go after the Skata'ne. Defeat the
first pair here, then follow the walkway on the left wall of the chamber
to get behind the second and launch a preemptive strike on them. Open
the nearby sphere for
600 gil.
Instead of taking the main path (following the waypoints), head
up and follow the curving outer walkway to sneak up behind a group
consisting of Stikini, Skata'ne, and a Circuitron. Kill the Stikini
first, then the Circuitron, then the Skata'ne. Use the save point just
ahead and continue to the next zone.
Hibernatorium
Expect to face two Berserkers in this zone. Each has a lot of HP, but
they're slow, meaning you can easily get a preemptive strike on both.
Keep attacking with Relentless Assault until you Stagger it, then use
Launch to juggle it. Stay with Relentless Assault as you Stagger it a
second time. If you don't manage to get a preemptive strike, the
Berserker will probably forge a Centaurion Blade to join it in battle.
If this happens, Stagger the Berserker, kill the Centaurion Blade, then
go back to damaging the Berserker.
On the far right wall of this large area you'll find a sphere containing a
Rigels
weapon for Sazh. Head into the elevator at the end of the hall and
activate the switch to ride it down to the next area, the Inner Conduit.
Inner Conduit
Use the save point here, then go right and check the right of the two alcoves for an
Auric Amulet.
Turn around now and head into the open tunnel ahead. Follow it around
to a Greater Behemoth. Quickly jump to the upper platform near the
Behemoth, then jump down and get a preemptive strike on it as it walks
away from you. Keep going until you reach a sphere containing an
Alicanto weapon for Hope.
Go straight at the fork ahead (instead of left, which is the way
forward). You'll have to kill ten Noctilucale, and then four Noctilucale
and a Greater Behemoth. When you face this last battle, kill the
Noctilucale first, then cast Deprotect and Curse on the Behemoth. Bash
the beast repeatedly until it stands on its hind legs, causing it to
replenish its HP. Watch out if uses Painga; if so, shift to Evened Odds
and use Esuna on the affected character, after that open the nearby
sphere for
7 Begrimed Claws.
Go back to the last fork and head right to reach another tunnel. On the other side, get the
Metal Armband from the back-right alcove and an
Ethersol
next to the save point. Take a moment to spend your CP, and set your
active paradigm to Evened Odds. Now head up the path to the next zone,
where you'll have a boss fight with series regular Cid.
Mezzanine
Boss: Cid Raines
HP: 226,800
For the first part of this fight, Cid will telegraph his moves with one of three onscreen prompts:
- Offensive Shift: Cid will attack or use Launch.
- Defensive Shift: Cid will Guard.
- Recovery Shift: Cid heals himself and removes status ailments.
Start by casting Slow and Curse on Cid while Hope casts buffs on the
party. Once you've debuffed Cid, shift paradigms to Delta Attack if Cid
is in his Offensive Shift, or Relentless Assault if he's in his
Defensive Shift. Keep an eye on your health and shift paradigms
appropriately. Steadily build Cid's Chain Gauge until it's 60% full,
then shift to Delta Attack (or Solidarity, if you need some healing).
At some point before you Stagger him, Cid will use his
Metamorphose ability and follow it up with Seraphic Ray, which is
incredibly dangerous. When this occurs, immediately shift to Solidarity
to heal your wounded party. He'll use this attack periodically for the
remainder of the fight (when he's not Guarding), so it's always a good
idea to keep your HP high in case he does.
Steadily build his Chain Gauge. Just before you fill it the first
time, shift to the Relentless Assault paradigm. When you Stagger Cid,
Fang should use Launch on him. Wait for the last of Fang's aerial
strikes to hit, then time your attacks to keep Cid juggling the air as
long as you can. Remember to push Triangle (PS3) or Y (XB360) to ATB
Cancel and get off any queued up attacks if you need a quick attack to
keep him airborne.
After the first Stagger, Cid will keep using his
Offensive/Defensive/Recovery Shifts, but now he won't telegraph them.
For this reason, it's safest to stay in Solidarity and Delta Attack,
unless Cid is Guarding, in which case you should switch to Evened Odds
to reapply your buffs, then hit him with Relentless Assault.
As the fight nears its end, Cid will use more status enhancements
on himself and ailments on you. Stick with Solidarity to stay alive!
Keep building toward a second Stagger, then switch to Relentless Assault
and keep him juggled as long as possible. He should fall shortly
thereafter.
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Continue up the path to a save point, and use it. You have access to
the Moogleworks store, if you feel like shopping. Enter the elevator
ahead and take it to the Central Conflux.
Central Conflux
You'll be ambushed in the elevator on the ride down to the Central
Conflux by three Circuitrons, though you can actually get a preemptive
strike if you're quick. When you reach the bottom, head up into the
large chamber. You can avoid the three-way battles between Pulsework
Knights and flans by using the outer walkway to the left, but it's
better to defeat them for the CP. Be careful and sneak up on the groups
or they'll see you, join forces, and attack you simultaneously!
However you decide to handle this zone, follow the main path to a save point, use it, and proceed to the next zone.
The Synthrona/Basement Conflux
You'll get a cutscene as you enter this zone. Afterward, toward the
four Circuitrons and attack them. As soon as that battle ends and you're
back in the field, stand completely still until three Pulsework Knights
approach and then turn away from you. Attack them then for a preemptive
strike.
Move down the hall to the next chamber, then up into the next hall. Check an alcove on the right wall in this hall for a
Feymark weapon for Snow, then continue up into the Basement Conflux.
Attack the Pulsework Knights and Imps here and begin with the
Relentless Assault paradigm. Take out the Imps first. Switch to
Diversity when there's only the Knights left. There's a Greater Behemoth
on the bridge, but try to get a preemptive strike on it to make that
fight a little easier. Take the path around the bridge, then drop down
and get behind it.
Hypogeum
As you enter the Hypogeum, you'll see four Circuitrons. This group is
excellent for grinding! Defeat them (try to get a preemptive strike to
speed this up), then run back onto the bridge in the previous zone to
respawn them. Keep this up to earn 512 CP a battle!
Continue to the next chamber where you'll face a Greater
Behemoth, two Skata'ne, and a Stikini. Take out the Stikini first, then
shift to the Solidarity paradigm. If you manage to get a preemptive
strike on this group, Stagger both the Stikini and the Greater Behemoth
quickly.
Before heading down to the waypoint, make a left out of that
chamber. A Berserker will ambush you there and use Forge to create a
Centaurion Blade. Focus on Staggering the Berserker first, and when Fang
uses Launch on it, start attacking the Blade.
Afterward, open the sphere for
3 Electrodes. Head back to
the previous chamber now and head down to a save point and an elevator.
Hop on. Three enemies will drop down in the elevator, so stand in the
center of the lift to trigger a battle with them as soon as they land to
score a preemptive strike.
Transept/Substratal Conflux
Proceed up the corridor and get a preemptive strike on the Berserker
there. Use the save point ahead and get on the long bridge. As the
Skata'ne run toward you, sprint back through the doorway. They should
turn around, allowing you to get a sneak attack on them. As you cross
the bridge, two more groups of enemies will try to ambush you by
dropping in: make contact with them as soon as they land to get a
preemptive strike both times.
When you reach an intersection, go left to find
2 Otherworldly Bones. Return to the main path and head up to the Vaults.
Vaults/The Apse
Lure the first Berserker here to the doorway, then attack it when it
turns away from you. Run past the second Berserker to the other side of
the room, then wait for it to look away before making contact with it.
After that, use the save point here. Swap Hope out for Vanille so
that you have a party of Lightning, Fang, and Vanille. Equip Vanille
with the Healer's Staff weapon and the Tetradic Crown and Shield
Talisman accessories. If you don't have those, use HP-raising
accessories instead. Why bother with Vanille? Because in the Eidolon
battle just ahead you're forced to use her, Lightning, and Fang.
Shift paradigms to Combat Clinic at the start of the battle. Just
use the Auto-Cover option for the first part of the battle. Bahamut
will work you over, but Lightning and Vanille should manage to keep you
alive. Once the Doom timer is around the 1,000 mark and your party's
health is decent, wait for Bahamut to finish an attack and back away,
then shift paradigms to Ruthless to cast debuffs on Bahamut, then shift
to Delta Attack to start building up the Gestalt Gauge. Keep an eye on
your HP, and when any character's health falls below the halfway mark,
shift to Combat Clinic to heal before going back on the offensive. Be
ready to push the appropriate button when Gestalt Mode becomes
available.
You now have the Bahamut Eidolon! Follow the path forward through the
Apse now to the waypoint to end the chapter. Get ready for a lot of
long, long cutscenes...
Chapter 11: Gran Pulse
Vallis Media
Base Camp/Fingers of Stone
Hope is temporarily "out of commission," so stick Vanille in your
party in his place. Spend all her CP on the Medic role. Take a moment to
create these two paradigms for use while she's briefly in your party:
Diversity (Ravager/Commando/Medic) and Delta Attack
(Commando/Sentinel/Ravager).
Use the save point behind you (do
not purchase the
Collector Catalog, as you'll get a free one later), then head up the
path. Go left at the fork (the right is currently a dead-end, though it
does open up later in the game) and fight your way through the Alraunes,
Flans, and Dire Flans on the single path. Open the sphere about
two-thirds of the way through for a
Partisan for Fang, then keep going until you get a cutscene preceding a fight with the Eidolon, Alexander.
Hope's back in your party now. Shift paradigms to Delta Attack
and start pounding Alexander. The Eidolon will fight back, so shift to
Combat Clinic whenever someone's HP drops below the halfway mark, then
shift back to Delta Attack. Keep up this strategy until Alexander
yields, probably around 100 on the Doom counter.
Watch the scene that follows, and afterward you'll be in the next area of Pulse, the Archylte Steppe.
Archylte Steppe
Welcome to the Archylte Steppe, where the game finally opens up and
allows you explore (you can see a full map of the area, including zones
that are currently unreachable, on the
Side Quests page). Unfortunately, a great deal of the monsters here will
destroy
you if you try to defeat them at this point in the game, so it's best
you avoid them. Here are the monsters you should avoid for the time
being:
- Adamanchelid
- Adamantoise
- Adamantortoise
- Amphisbaena
- Cactuar
- Megistotherian
Take a moment to set Lightning as the party leader, and set up your six paradigms:
- Ravager/Commando/Ravager (Relentless Assault)
- Ravager/Sentinel/Ravager (Mystic Tower)
- Medic/Saboteur/Synergist (Evened Odds)
- Medic/Sentinel/Medic (Combat Clinic)
- Commando/Sentinel/Medic (Solidarity)
- Commando/Sentinel/Ravager (Delta Attack)
Set Delta Attack as your active paradigm. It works well in
conjunction with Mystic Tower; after you get an enemy's Chain Gauge 40%
filled with Delta Attack, shift to Mystic Tower to Stagger the foe.
A Cie'th Stone appears right where you begin on the Steppe.
Cie'th Stones give your marks for the game's main sidequest. See the
Stone Missions page for more information on these hunts. You're more than capable of completing the first two missions right now.
Also, some new areas have opened up, though you shouldn't even
consider visiting them at this point in the game. If you trek back
through Vallis Media to its other end, you'll reach the new Yaschas
Massif area, the home of certain Stone Mission marks. By taking the path
in the northeastern corner of the Archylte Steppe to its end, you'll
reach the Faultwarrens, where you'll find many very difficult Stone
Mission marks.
Turn around and use the save point behind you. Roaming the area
near here is a Behemoth King. If you feel like grinding for CP, the
Behemoth King is possible to defeat, if you prepare and get a preemptive
strike on it. Create the Aggression paradigm
(Commando/Commando/Ravager) and just work it over. You
must
defeat it before its first Stagger ends, or you will almost certainly
die. Defeating it earns you a whopping 4,000 CP! Return to the save
point to respawn this beast, and defeat it repeatedly to rack up the CP.
Anyway, on with the main story! You're in the "south-central"
zone of the Steppe, the Central Expanse, and your goal for the moment is
to reach the Northern Highplain to the "northwest" (just run toward the
floating Cocoon and you'll find it). Go to the western peninsula and
start heading north. You should see a save point on your left.
Continue up the northwestern path, bypassing the battle with a
Behemoth King and Megistotherian en route to the next area, Mah'habara.
Mah'habara
Maw of the Abyss
WikiCheats Tip
This is a great area to grind. Run between the first Boxed Phalanx
(which you should avoid) and where the path forks toward the Juggernaut
to rack up the CP!
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Save your game at the save point up the path. Try to get a preemptive
strike on the Hoplite enemies up ahead, then use Relentless Assault on
them. Open the sphere ahead for a
Hauteclaire weapon for Lightning, then proceed to a fork in the road. There's a sphere containing a
Platinum Bangle at the end of the path to the left, but it's guarded by a Juggernaut, which will most likely
destroy you, so save it for later when you're strong; go right instead.
Just ahead you'll face a Boxed Phalanx, which can summon new
Hoplites to the battle. At this point in the game, it's probably best to
use the Odin Eidolon against it after first hammering it with the
Relentless Assault paradigm. You can also just opt to run straight past
it.
The Earthworks
Save at the save point here, then get ready to deal with more tough
monsters. You'll definitely want to get a preemptive strike on the four
Cryohedrons to avoid their Self-destruct attack. Don't use magic on the
Rust Puddings. Use the Relentless Assault paradigm on Pulsework
Centurions, but if you face more than one, use Delta Attack.
Check the two alcoves on the left wall for
4 Electrodes and
4 Chobham Armors. Cross the bridge ahead and go straight at the fork. Take this to a dead-end with
4 Tesla Turbines.
Return to the fork and take it to a second bridge. You'll have to fight
a Box Phalanx and three Hoplites there, so use Relentless Assault on
the Boxed Phalanx until you Stagger in, then bring in Odin to clean up.
Open the sphere past the bridge for
2 Saint's Amulets, then follow the route to the waypoint.
Flower-filled Fissure
Save at the save point and spend all of Vanille's CP points in the
Medic role. Try to get to Curasa and the ATB level crystals on the top
tier. Now equip Vanille with the Healer's Staff, Blessed Talisman, and
Shield Talisman. Set your active paradigm to Slash & Burn. Now head
up the path to face another Eidolon battle.
Hecatoncheir will likely throw you for a loop. Let Fang perform
two sets of attacks on the Eidolon to put some distance between her and
Vanille, then shift to the Stumbling Block paradigm. Lay on the debuffs
while Fang heals you. Shift to Lifeguard when you need extra healing.
Another strategy is to create the Arcane Defense paradigm
(Ravager/Sentinel) and switch between that and Stumbling Block,
finishing the battle with Slash & Burn. The Renew ability is also an
option.
Afteward, the Hecatoncheir Eidolon is yours! Proceed to the next zone.
Dusktide Grotto/Deep in the Dark
Use Delta Attack on the enemies you face here (though you should by
all means run past the Juggernaut). Past the first group is a sphere;
open it for an
Ice Charm. Cross the bridge ahead and use the save point on the other side.
The path forks west, north, and east here. Go east first; at the end of the path you'll find a
Particle Accelerator. Return to the save point and go west this time. After you fight the next group of enemies, go right to find
3 Crystal Oscillators. Continue on the main path, fighting two more groups of enemies to reach a sphere containing
3 Perfect Conductors.
Sneak up on the Boxed Phalanx in the next zone to get a
preemptive strike against it. Keep going to the end of the path and
examine the machine to trigger a scene. Afterward, board the Atomos to
reach the next part of Pulse.
NOTE: Once you reach Sulyya Springs, you can get back on
the Atomos and ride it back to Mah'habara. This opens up three new map
areas there. It is in the "An Asylum from Light" zone that you'll find
the Cie'th Stone for Mission 29. To get past the barrier leading to the
final chamber of the "Abandoned Dig" zone, you must first activate Stone
Mission 30.
Sulyya Springs
Ceiling of Sky/Subterranean Lake
Save your game here, then open the shopping menu. Sell all your
Credit Chips and Incentive Chips for Gil at the B&W Outfitters shop,
then buy as much of this gear as you can: three Warrior's Wristbands
and three Sorcerer's Masks. Equip two Sorcerer's Masks to Hope, two
Warrior's Wristbands to Fang, and one of each to Lightning.
Follow the path to the Subterranean Lake zone. Follow the right wall to a sphere containing
13 Strange Fluids. Head across the small island to reach the next larger one, and go right to find
10 Enigmatic Fluids.
Head to the left part of the island, where you'll find five
Ceratosaurs. These guys can kill an underprepared party, so begin by
using Libra on one, then shift to Delta Attack. If you're still having
trouble staying alive, use the Solidarity paradigm.
Afterward, interact with the circle of water to cause two
platforms to appear, each the home of two treasure spheres that are
guarded by very tough enemies. Go back a couple islands first and look
right for the first of these two platforms. Open the spheres for an
Uraninite and a
Riptide Ring.
Jump back to the island where you triggered the platforms and go
northeast this time, past where you opened the sphere that contained the
Enigmatic Fluid, to jump to a new island.
Jump to the second of the two new platforms to the left here to find a
Mnar Stone and a
Water Charmp.
Again, if the enemies guarding them are too tough for you at this
stage, come back later when you're more powerful. Follow the right wall
to a sphere that contains an
Aquabane Brooch. You'll need to
defeat two Ceratosaurs and two Orobons to get it; kill the Ceratosaurs
first. The adjacent island is guarded by Ceratosaurs and a Ceratoraptor.
Take out the Cerataraptor first! Go left to find a sphere containing
6 Moistened Scales,
then follow the left wall up to the other end of this island. Use Delta
Attack & Combat Clinic paradigms to defeat the Orobons, then open
the sphere for
5 Seapetal Scales.
Return to the center island and follow the path forward to the next zone.
Ceiling of Sky/The Skyreach
Fight your way along this path to another sphere; it contains
7 Abyssal Scales.
Continue onward to the Skyreach, where you'll find a save point to the
right. Proceed forward and open the sphere on the left side of the path
for a
Cie'th Tear. Keep moving and you'll soon reach the next area of Pulse, Taejin's Tower.
Taejin's Tower
Palisades/Tyrant's Gate
You're not far from Taejin's Tower, so take a moment to prepare. Set
Delta Attack as your active paradigm, and spend all your CP.
Save at the save point and follow the path up to a pair of
Managarmr. Try to get a preemptive strike on them. After that is an
Amphisbaena, which is much tougher. Shift to Combat Clinic or Solidarity
to heal. Fight through more enemies to reach a wide open area, then
check the back left corner for
20 Sinister Fangs.
Continue to the Tyrant's Gate, where you'll face two Managarmr.
They'll cast status ailments on you, but Fang can deal with it. Once
they're dead, head into the passage leading to the tower.
NOTE: No doubt you noticed the Cie'th Stone in the Palisades zone. This opens up the optional Stone Mission 21 that you can complete now if you feel up to the task.
Ground Tier
There are three spheres on the Ground Tier: two on the lower
(southern) half of the ring, and one near the elevator to the next
level. They contain
4,721 gil, a
Sparkbane Brooch, and
11 Chipped Fangs. Collect all the loot, then ride the lift to the Second Tier.
Second Tier
You begin on the inner of this tier's two rings. Save at the save
point, then move forward. The path ahead will be blocked, so take the
path left to the outer ring. Activate the large Menhirrim statue there
to accept the first of six Stone Missions you
must complete in order to get through Taejin's Tower. There are three on this floor, and this is the first.
Mission 21 - Gelatitan: Use
Libra (or a Librascope) at the start of the battle to learn the
Gelatitan's weakness to Lightning, then hammer it. Shift to Combat
Clinic whenever you need to heal.
Mission 22 - Ambling Bellows:
Keep your distance from the Ambling Bellows until you see a Cryptos
moving by the door, then run and make contact with it from behind to
trigger a preemptive strike. Hit the Ambling Bellows hard without
stopping to heal so you can defeat it before it summons friends to the
battle. Use the Odin Eidolon if necessary.
Mission 23 - Gurangatch:
Before attacking the Gurangatch, make Relentless Assault your active
paradigm. Attack it from behind for a preemptive strike (and if you
miss, pause the game and select "Retry" to start over). Hammer it with
the Relentless Assault paradigm to Stagger it, then keep up the
offensive until it falls. Equip the Warrior's Wristband you earn as a
reward on Fang.
The flames that once blocked the path forward are now hope. Head past them now. Go to the end of the inner ring to find
5 Spark Plugs, then follow the waypoint to reach the Third Tier.
Third Tier
Open the sphere in the corner for a
Simurgh weapon for Hope. Examine the Menhirrim statue ahead to open the path to the inner ring. Go right first and open the sphere for
2 Metal Armbands, then head in the other direction to reach the elevator to take you to the Fourth Tier.
Fourth Tier
Another quick floor. Head toward the waypoint to find a save point. Use it, then head to the end of the inner ring to find
2 Glass Orbs. Go back to the last intersection and head up to find the elevator that takes you to the Fifth Tier.
Fifth Tier
Go left and open the sphere for
9 Ancient Bones, then turn
around and head in the other direction. Kill the Yakshini first when you
face it along with the Yaksha. Activate the Menhirrim statue to receive
another mandatory Stone Mission.
Mission 24 - Mushussu: Take out the two Yakshini first, then use Libra on the Mushussu while you heal. Shift to Delta Attack to take it down.
The rest of this floor is blocked off, so ride the elevator back to the Fourth Tier.
Fourth Tier, Part 2
Follow the waypoint marker into the inner ring and go right, past the
save point and the elevator you used to get here. Open the sphere at
the end of the ring for a
Gale Ring, then go through the arch to the outer ring. Veer left and open the sphere for
2 Rainbow Anklets, then ride the nearby elevator to the Sixth Tier.
Sixth Tier
There's a Vampire in this room on the Sixth Tier's outer ring. Lure
it to the doorway, then attack it from behind when it turns around.
Afterward, activate the Menhirrim statue for another Stone Mission.
Your mark isn't on this floor, however, so enter the inner ring
and go left. Take another left when you can to another room on the outer
ring. Activate the statue here to rotate the tower floor, then return
to the inner ring.
Take the second right into another outer ring room. Open the two spheres in the corners for
4 Tears of Woe and an
Unsetting Sun weapon for Snow, then head down the nearby stairs to the Fifth Tier.
Fifth Tier, Part 2
Here you'll find your Mission 25 mark.
WikiCheats Tip
A good group of enemies to grind for CP sits at the bottom of the
stairs to the Sixth Tier. Defeat the five Pulsework Gladiators (best
done with a preemptive strike), then run upstairs, past the Vampire to
the walkway. Go back now and the group should have respawned. Each time
you defeat them you'll earn 8,000 CP.
|
Mission 25 - Vetala: This is a
tough mark when you encounter it in the course of the game's main story,
because its Inertial Barrier protects it from all physical attacks and
cut elemental damage in half. Use Delta Attack to slowly fill its Chain
Gauge, and use Combat Clinic when you need to heal. Use Dispelga when
necessary to get rid of any status ailments the mark inflicts upon you.
Once you fill the Chain Gauge halfway, shift paradigms to Mystic Tower
to Stagger it.
Open the sphere in this room for a
Librascope, then follow
the corridor to another room. Activate the Menhirrim statue to get your
last mandatory Stone Mission. The mark for this mission is back up on
the Sixth Tier. We suggest you avoid the Tyrant in this room, as it's
pretty strong. Enter the floor's inner ring and go right. The path will
become blocked, so make your way back to the stairs leading up to the
Sixth Tier.
Sixth Tier, Part 2
Enter the inner ring and take the second left to an outer ring room. There you'll find the Mission 26 mark:
Mission 26 - Penanggalan: Take out the Chonchon enemies first before focusing on the mark. Shift paradigms to Combat Clinic when you need to heal.
After the Penanggalan is dead, return to the Fifth Tier.
Fifth/Fourth/Sixth Tier
Head to the waypoint marker on the inner ring and you'll then be able
to proceed to a Menhirrim statue. Activate it, then ride this tier's
elevator down to the Fourth Tier.
Get on the elevator in the inner ring and ride it up to the Sixth
Tier. You could fight the three Vampires here, but the rewards aren't
really worth it, so we suggest you avoid them.
Follow the ring until you can make a left to the outer ring. Open the two spheres there for
8 Tears of Remorse and a
Clay Ring, then head to the next room. Take that elevator up to the Cloven Spire.
The Cloven Spire
Use the save point here, then follow the outer ring around the floor to find two spheres containing an
Ethersol and
2 Frostbane Brooches.
Return to the save point to get ready for a boss fight. Set Delta
Attack as your active paradigm, and spend all your CP. If Lightning
hasn't unlocked her Commando role's Dispelga ability, return to the
tower's previous floors and grind until you're able to afford it. When
you're prepared, head to the floor's central platform to face the boss,
Dahaka. Thought it was Taejin, did you? Well you were wrong! That would
make too much sense!
Boss: Dahaka
HP: 2,314,800
Yes, you read that right: this beast has over two million HP. Luckily, if you know how to kill it, whittling away all those hit points isn't as hard as it sounds.
Begin by hammering on the boss with the Delta Attack paradigm.
Keep an eye out for an onscreen prompt for Bone-chilling Breaker or
Fulminous Firestorm. When you see either, immediately shift to the
Combat Clinic paradigm. After the attack hits, heal up, then shift to
Delta Attack (or Solidarity, if you're not so confident) to keep the
Chain Gauge alive. Watch for Dahaka's Diluvial Plague attack, which can
inflict your party with status ailments. A simple casting of Dispelga
will remove their effects at once. If you don't have Dispelga, shift to
Combat Clinic. You can also use Dispelga on the boss if it uses Faith or
Haste on itself, though if you almost have it Staggered, don't bother.
Keep attacking until you manage to Stagger the boss, then shift
paradigms to Relentless Assault and go to town. When the Stagger bar is
almost depleted, shift paradigms so Fang can cast Slow before the
Stagger ends to make filling the Chain Gauge again an easier
proposition. Paradigm shift again to get a Sentinel in your party, as
you'll probably need some buffs after your all-out assault.
|
After the battle, you have two options. You can either head to the
waypoint marker to travel to Oerba, or you can briefly check out the
tower's seventh tier to grab some treasure. We suggest the latter. Take
the newly-arrived elevator at the southern end of the floor to the
Seventh Tier.
Seventh Tier
Activate the final statue here to rotate the floor, which allows you
to ride the central elevator to any tier. Exit the room to the inner
ring and go left to reach a sphere containing the aforementioned
Collector Catalog. Equip this whenever you're grinding to earn more items after battles.
Return to the Cloven Spire now and head to the waypoint to exit.
- Dont think of challenging this mark unless your absolutely fully prepared. This boss has high HP, high attacks/defenses.
Oerba
The Ashensand/Village Proper
Use the save point here and follow the path through the ravine to the
ghost town of Oerba, which is now populated by Vampires, Taxims,
Vetalas, Chonchons, Seekers, and a Varcolaci.
Hop over the gap into the village and take your first left to find a
Perovskite.
Return to the main path and continue to a fork. The left path leads to
one of three Cie'th Stones in Oerba (the other two aren't available
until later in the game). Feel free to activate it and accept
Stone Mission 28. Otherwise, go right down the ramp for a cutscene.
Ignore the house on the right for now and head up the stairs next
to the dumpster filled with sand. There you'll find a small robot.
Examine it to start the
Repairing Bhakti side quest. We suggest you do this now, so see the description on the Side Quests page for more info.
Moving on, open the sphere at the 180-degrees corner near the Dilapidated Dwelling for a
Heavenly Axis weapon for Vanille. Continue on the path down the ramp and over the roots, and head down the steps to the left leading to a
Librascope.
Continue south on the main path until you can veer right into the
Deserted Schoolhouse area. Check the roof of the schoolhouse for two
spheres containing a
Moogle Puppet and a
Pleiades Hi-Powers.
Leave the schoolhouse and follow the path around to a save point. Use
it, then enter the building. Defeat the three Taxims inside, then go
upstairs to reach the next zone.
Rust-eaten Bridge
Go left here to find a
Flamebane Brooch, then turn around and
start heading forward. Soon you'll encounter a sphere guarded by a
Vetala. Defeat it, then open the sphere for a
Taming Pole weapon
for Fang. Try to get a preemptive strike on the Vampire and three
Seekers ahead, and take out the Vampire first. If you fail to get the
sneak attack, kill the Seekers first instead.
Proceed across the bridge to a save point and a sphere containing an
Ethersol.
Take a moment to prepare for the boss battle ahead. Set Delta Attack as
your active paradigm, if you haven't already. Spend all your CP; you'll
want your characters to have reach the Role Level crystals in their key
roles, and a full TP gauge is a must. Go grind for a while with the
Energy Sash equipped to fulfill either of these requisites before
tackling the boss at the waypoint, the gargantuan Barthandelus.
Boss: Barthandelus
HP: 3,307,500
Barthandelus is a status ailment-happy kind of guy. Though you
may be tempted to cure these myriad debuffs with Dispelga, you're going
to want to save your TP for the very end of the fight. We'll get to that
later.
For now, focus on getting the boss into Stagger by hitting it
with two rounds of Delta Attack, then shifting to Mystic Tower to finish
the job. If you get bombarded with too many status ailments in the
meanwhile, shift paradigms to Combat Clinic to cast Esuna. Only bother
with curing debuffs when they're really hampering your game, such as
when Lightning gets hit by Pain, or Hope gets hit by Fog.
Keep pounding on Barthandelus until he only has about 500,000 HP
left. At that point he will probably hit you with the Doom meter. From
now on, you'll need to adopt a more aggressive strategy to beat
Barthandelus before Doom kicks in. Shift paradigms immediately to
Relentless Assault. With full TP you can cast Renew twice and Dispelga
once. Save your two Renews for emergencies only! Only bother with
Dispelga if the wrong character gets hit with Fog or Pain. Keep pounding
away without focusing on healing and you should kill the boss before
the Doom timer runs down to zero.
Another way of cutting the battle short is to bring in Sazh.
First, have him in Syn mode. He'll give all members stat enhancers. Once
your ready to go. Switch to Relentless Assault. With this he should
fall within the first Stagger session. This' assuming you've had
frequent trips to the Crystarium
Why this setup? Throughout the 5 ATB slots, Sazh hits multiple times. Which can be quite damaging
|
After that heart-pounding battle, examine the Cie'th Stone here for a
cutscene. Afterward, get on the vehicle to proceed back to Cocoon. You
can return to the Archylte Steppe now if you want to tackle more Stone
Missions, but we recommend waiting until Chapter 13 to do so.
Chapter 12: Eden
Grand Prix Circuit
After the cinematic that opens this chapter, you'll take part in an
event battle against the Anavatapa Warmech. Just keep using Auto-Gestalt
until it's defeated.
Now spend some of that sweet CP. Lightning should work toward the
Ravager role's Thundaga and Army of One abilities and the Medic role's
Stopga. Fang should work toward the Sentinel role's Reprieve, Saboteur's
Imperil, and Commando's Highwind. Hope should work toward the Medic
role's Curaja, Synergist's Haste, and Ravager's Last Resort.
Also, take a moment to set up these six paradigms for the party of Lightning, Fang, and Hope:
- Commando/Sentinel/Ravager (Delta Attack)
- Ravager/Sentinel/Ravager (Mystic Tower)
- Ravager/Commando/Ravager (Relentless Assault)
- Medic/Sentinel/Medic (Combat Clinic)
- Medic/Sentinel/Synergist (Protection)
- Medic/Saboteur/Synergist (Evened Odds)
Use the save point here, then start heading north up the labyrinthine
paths. Go north from your starting position to a four-way intersection,
and go left there. Make the next right. Follow this to another
intersection, and go straight there. Take your next right, then go right
again to find a
Lionheart weapon for Lightning. Turn around now
and go straight at the next two intersections to reach another wider
oval-shaped area. Take the passage straight north from it, then go right
at the intersection. Go forward as far as you can, then turn right and
head down to find
9,240 gil.
Head to the waypoint in the northwest corner to reach the Skywalk.
Skywalk/Expressway
Use the save point, the move out. Use the Delta Attack paradigm to
get through the enemies here. When you fight a Bulwarker and two Sanctum
Seraphs, take out the Bulwarker first to have an easier time with the
Seraphs. Continue up the passage to the Expressway, where you'll have an
event battle against a Behemoth King. Hit it with Delta Attack to build
up its Chain Gauge, then shift to Mystic Tower to Stagger it. Shift to
Relentless Assault once it's Staggered to put on the hurtin'.
Save your game here. The enemy battle of note in this zone is
against a Behemoth King and three Orobons. Go after the Behemoth King
first, and defeat it as you did the previous one, except shift to Delta
Attack when you Stagger it, instead of Relentless Assault. Open the
first sphere on the path for a
Rebel Heart weapon for Snow, and the second sphere later on for an
Otshirvani weapon for Hope.
Use the save point here, make sure Hope has the Haste ability (if
not, go grind until you can afford it), and set Protection as your
active paradigm. Why? Well, there's a boss just ahead, of course.
Boss: The Proudclad
HP: 1,530,000
In the Protection paradigm, let Hope cast buffs on your party,
then use Delta Attack and then Mystic Tower to Stagger the boss. Once
the Proudclad is Staggered, shift back to Delta Attack and hammer away.
When there are about 10 seconds left in the Stagger, shift to Combat
Clinic to heal the party, because the Proudclad will go on the offensive
when it's no longer Staggered. Shift back to Protection then, set up
your new buffs, then repeat the Delta Attack/Mystic Tower routine to
Stagger it again. Lightning meanwhile should let her ATB gauge fill, and
use it only for healing herself, at least until you Stagger the
Proudclad.
|
Get in the Bridge Pier Elevator now and ride it down.
Ramuh Interchange
You'll get an event battle here against an Adamanchelid, a giant
beast that may seem unbeatable upon first sight. Have Fang in her
Saboteur role casting debuffs on the beast while you work away at its
Chain Gauge; it's weak against Ice. Be sure to cast Haste on everyone.
Shift regularly to Combat Clinic to heal from the Adamanchelid's
frequent and powerful attacks.
After that battle, use the save point here and follow the right wall to a sphere that contains a
Punisher
weapon for Fang. When you encounter the Humbaba, use Delta Attack on
it, then shift to Mystic Tower to build the Chain Gauge to Stagger.
Shift to Relentless Assault then to take it down.
Jump across the broken sections of road, and follow the right wall up until you reach a small dead-end with
15,000 gil at the end of it. Leave this alcove and go straight forward to find
5 Perfect Conductors. Descend either set of stairs and head through the large door to Siren Park.
Siren Park
Use the save point ahead. There are several groups of three-way
battling enemies ahead, making them prime grinding opportunities,
especially if you get preemptive strikes on them (and you should).
Go right when the path forks, then go right at the next fork and take this around to a sphere containing
2 Blaze Rings. Go back to the last fork and go straight. Continue in that direction, heading below the overpass and around to a
Librascope. Continue on this path to reach
6 Particle Accelerators. A little north of that sphere on the lower levels is a
Champion's Badge.
Once you have all the loot, head for the waypoint. It's guarded
by a Tyrant and a Vernal Harvester. Get a preemptive strike on them,
then go after the Vernal Harvester first. Stagger it, and keep bashing
it until its health is almost depleted, then switch to the Tyrant. When
the Centaurion Blade is summoned, defeat it, then finish off the first
two enemies.
As we mentioned before, it's worth grinding in this area, as the
three-way battles are pretty easy sources of CP. When you're ready to
move on, continue to Leviathan Plaza.
Leviathan Plaza
Use the save point here, and open the sphere to the left for an
Antares Deluxes
weapon for Sazh. The enemies in this zone are pretty difficult, and you
may want to consider just avoiding them entirely, especially if you
spent some time grinding in Siren Park. By no means should you even
consider trying to take down the Adamantoise. If you do feel like
tackling the Juggernaut, get a preemptive strike on it, use Relentless
Assault to Stagger it, then shift to Protection after the Stagger period
ends. Switch to Delta Attack and Mystic Tower to get a second Stagger,
then use Relentless Assault again. Finish it off with Delta Attack.
Anyway, there's another save point just ahead. Use it. Inside the
large building you will see two treasure spheres. The one to the left
contains
6 Particle Accelerators and the one on the right contains a
Plush Chocobo.
Though you can sell the Plush Chocobo for 35,000 gil, we suggest going
for the Particle Accelerators, as their 4,800 EXP value is much greater
than that of the gil reward.
After the other sphere "disappears," check the alcoves on the left and right side of the lobby for
12 Hellish Talons and
17 Hellish Talons. Now head through the door at the waypoint to reach the next zone.
Edenhall Grand Foyer/Edenhall
Head down the hall to find another save point. Use it, open the sphere ahead for a
Mistilteinn weapon for Vanille, then continue into Edenhall itself.
A cutscene will trigger here. When it ends, rush the Juggernaut
to the right and defeat it as you did the previous one. The battle with
three Sanctum Inquisitrices and a Sanctum Archangel should not be taken
lightly. Go after the Archangel first, kill it, shift to Combat Clinic
to heal, then slowly eliminate the three Inquisitrices. Later on you'll
face two Sacrifies battling a Vernal Harvester. Focus all of your
attacks on the Vernal Harvester at first to put a dent in its HP, then
go after the Sacrifices and kill them.
Proceed down the path to an intersection with a save point. Use it, then take the path going east a short distance to find a
Power Glove
(and no, you don't get to play NES games with it). Return to the save
point and head up toward the waypoint. Defeat the enemies en route to a
sphere containing an
Ethersol, then stop. Take a moment to set
Protection as your active paradigm before proceeding to the boss fight, a
rematch with the Proudclad.
Boss: The Proudclad
HP: 3,570,000
The Proudclad has a few new tricks up its sleeve. It now has the
capability of switching between two forms, resetting the Chain Gauge in
the process. The first form is Annihilation Mode (sounds fun, yeah?). In
this mode it will use Muon Blaster, but you can Launch it when it's
Staggered. In Aerial Defense Mode it will take to the air and use
Retaliatory Strike after you Stagger it. Prepare for this by shifting
paradigms to Combat Clinic before the Stagger period ends.
At the start of the fight, set up your buffs and stay on the
defensive until the Proudclad goes into Aerial Defense Mode. When that
happens, shift to Delta Attack to build up the Chain Gauge, shift to
Mystic Tower to Stagger it, then shift back to Delta Attack during
Stagger mode. Shift to Combat Clinic just before the Stagger period ends
for the Retaliatory Strike, then shift to Protection to set up your
buffs again.
As the battle goes on, you'll see a message that reads "Limiters
Deactived." From that point on, the Proudclad will activate statue
enhancements on itself. It will also use a new attack: Oneiric
Maelstrom, which hits the whole party. Shift paradigms to Combat Clinic
and stay with it until the Proudclad changes modes again. Don't attack
unless the boss is in Aerial Defense Mode!
|
After the battle, enter the elevator above to end the chapter.
Chapter 13: Orphan's Cradle
The Tesseracts, Part 1
After the cutscene up the steps, save your game at the save point.
Two warp gates have opened at the four-way intersection at the south end
of this area. These lead back to Edenhall in Eden and Vallis Media on
Gran Pulse. If you want to go hunt marks on the Archylte Steppe, feel
free to do so now, though we recommend waiting until after you defeat
the main story's final boss before doing so.
Also, as with the previous chapter, you'll want these six paradigms ready to use at your discretion:
- Commando/Sentinel/Ravager (Delta Attack)
- Ravager/Sentinel/Ravager (Mystic Tower)
- Ravager/Commando/Ravager (Relentless Assault)
- Medic/Sentinel/Medic (Combat Clinic)
- Medic/Sentinel/Synergist (Protection)
- Medic/Saboteur/Synergist (Evened Odds)
Before you go to the waypoint, check out the passage on the opposite
side of the area. This route holds three spheres, which contain a
Librascope,
Cherub's Crown, and a
Millerite.
Of course, you'll have to fight through enemies to get to them. Use the
Evened Odds paradigm against the Aquila Velocycle to cast Slow and
Imperil on it, then switch to Mystic Tower to Stagger it. Use the same
strategy against the Megrim Thresher, but shift to Relentless Assault
during the Stagger to Launch it.
After collecting the loot, go to the waypoint marker and interact
with the statue. Two platforms will appear. The left one goes to an
optional area with more treasures, so take that platform first.
At the first fork, go right and take that route to the end to find
4 Superchargers.
Turn around and head in the other direction. Follow the right wall to a
ledge you can jump down, and open the sphere to the left for
4 Perfect Conductors. Head down the ramp behind you and open the sphere for
5 Turboprops.
From that last sphere, head south, then west and jump up the
ledge on the other side of the room. Go right and take the path to a
fork. Take the left path to find
2 Particle Accelerators and the right path to find a
Uraninite.
Return to the area with the two platforms and take the right one this time.
Open the sphere to the right for
20 Seaking's Beards, then
turn around and head in the other direction. The monsters here are more
difficult than before, so try to get a preemptive strike on them as
much as you can.
At the fork, go left first, then take another left and go to the
top of the ramp to reach the upper area. Go right first and open the
sphere in the dead-end for
2 Aegisols. Turn around and head up the other path. When the path forks, follow the left path to its end for
9 Tears of Woe and the right path to its end for a
Gale Ring.
Go back down the ramp to the lower area and get back on the main
path heading north. When the path forks again, go right first to find a
Shamanic Spear for Fang. Now go up the only other path to find a save point. Save, then activate the statue to shift the platforms.
The Tesseracts, Part 2
Head down the ramp to face a Sacrifice and an Aquila Velocycle, and
kill the Sacrifice first. You'll face other Sacrifices in this area, but
when they're accompanied by Dagonites, you should take the Dagonites
first before they use their Rush attacks on you.
Go left when the path forks (right leads back to the central
round hub). Jump down the ledge and follow the path forward. Go straight
the fork (left leads to an elevator, which we'll return to in a
moment). Jump to the ledge ahead and follow the path to the left to a
Tetradic Crown. Go back to that elevator you passed now and ride it down to the next area.
Use the save point ahead, set your active paradigm to Protection,
and go right at the fork. When you face an Aquila Velocycle and three
Dagonites, use the Protection paradigm so Hope casts Haste and Protect
on the party. Take out the Dagonites one by one, and shift to Combat
Clinic to heal as necessary (which will be often). After you win, head
to the end of this dead-end to find
6 Starblossom Seeds.
Return to the fork and go right, jumping down. Go right at the
fork ahead and descend the ramp. Go left at the next fork, jumping down,
then going left at the corner to reach a sphere containing
8 Black Myceliums.
Head back, jump back up to the ledge, and go left. Go straight forward
past the ledges to the right (we'll be back to them momentarily) until
you can turn left to a dead-end with a
Rhodochrosite at the end of it.
Go back to the ledges you passed and jump down. Follow this path
toward the waypoint marker, where you'll find a save point. There, set
your active paradigm to Evened Odds and save your game.
Now activate the nearby statue to trigger a boss battle. Once you
activate it, you can't return to this section of the Tesseracts.
Boss: Jabberwocky & Bandersnatch
Jabberwocky - HP: 678,000
Bandersnatch - HP: 254,250
Both of these brutes have massive defenses: the Jabberwocky is
immune to magic and physical damage against it is halved, and the
Bandersnatch is immune to physical attacks and cuts magic damage to a
tenth.
You'll want to take out the Jabberwocky first. In the Evened Odds
paradigm, wait for Fang to cast Deprotect on Jabberwocky, shift to
Combat Clinic to heal if necessary, then shift to Delta Attack to build
up its Chain Gauge. Shift to Mystic Tower to Stagger it, then shift to
Delta Attack once you do. Keep an eye on the Jabberwocky's Deprotect
debuff, and recast it when it fades.
After the third Stagger, the Jabberwocky should fall, leaving
only the Bandersnatch. Shift paradigms to Evened Odds to cast debuffs.
Once Deshell is in place, shift to Relentless Assault to bring about its
swift demise.
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The Tesseracts, Part 3
Use the save point here, then head forward to reach a ring of six
hexagonal platforms. You could just move around the rings to head
immediately to the waypoint, but then you'd be missing out on some
treasure!
Head to the center point of the rings off the first platform to
face an Immortal that, unfortunately, you can't get a preemptive strike
on. The Immortal will summon a Centaurion Blade to the battle, so you'll
want to work quickly. Hit the Immortal with debuffs before it forges
the Blade, then shift to Protection to protect the party while Hope
casts buffs. Attack only the Immortal; ignore the Blade. Shift to Combat
Clinic to heal when necessary, and recast Haste when it fades. Once you
defeat the Immortal, the Centaurion Blade will perish.
Step through the gate to reach the first of two secret platforms. Open the two spheres here for a
Weirding Glyph and an
Adamant Bangle. Warp to the next secret platform and open the two spheres for a
Scarletite and an
Elixir.
Use the warp there to return to the beginning of the six hexagon
platforms. Make your way around to the other side, and follow the
passage to a save point.
Set your active paradigm to Protection, and spend all your CP. Save your game, then head up to face another boss, Wladislaus.
Boss: Wladislaus
HP: 734,500
When the battle begins, allow Hope to cast several buffs on the
party, then shift to Delta Attack. Lay on the attacks, but watch for the
boss to use its Mounting Contempt ability. This inflicts Deprotect
and/or Deshell, then hits a character with a powerful blow that can very
possibly kill them. When you see that Wladislaus is about to use this
attack, shift paradigms to Protection so Hope can recast the buffs while
Lightning heals. Return to your attacks and you should defeat the boss
after you get the Chain Bonus past the 200% mark.
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The Tesseracts, Part 4
Getting tired of the Tesseracts? Lucky for you, this is the last section of them you'll have to worry about.
Use the save point here and move forward for a cutscene. Ignore
the elevators in the back corners and head up the ramp to the right.
There you'll run into a Wladislaus and a Sanctum Templar. All strategies
from the previous boss fight apply here, though you should kill the
Templar first. Afterward, open the sphere for
3,000 gil.
There's a Jabberwocky and a Bandersnatch at the top of the ramp.
Defeating them earns you 32,000 CP, though you can certain just avoid
them. Open the sphere for
5,000 gil, then press on. Turn right at
the fork. When you face the three Sanctum Templars, use the Evened Odds
paradigm to first apply buffs and debuffs, then shift to Relentless
Assault to take them down quickly. Use Combat Clinic when you need to
heal.
Use the save point ahead on the left, set your active paradigm to
Protection, then head up to the waypoint to face the Tiamat Eliminator.
Boss: Tiamat Eliminator
HP: 3,825,000
The Tiamat Eliminator doesn't start out that threatening. It has
two forms (aerial and earthbound), beginning with the aerial version,
and will usually switch forms after a Stagger period.
Begin in the Protection paradigm and let Hope cast Haste on
himself and Lightning, then shift to Delta Attack. Build up the boss's
Chain Gauge, then shift to Mystic Tower to Stagger it.
After the Stagger period, the Tiamat Eliminator will use Descent
to become its earthbound form. Its attack will now remove status
enhancements you've placed on your characters. Make sure to shift to
Combat Clinic when you need to heal, especially after the boss's Photon
Blaster attack. Try to Stagger the earthbound form before it goes aerial
again: if you manage it, you can Launch the boss, then hammer it with
Relentless Assault.
Keep up with these simple strategies--shifting to Combat Clinic
to heal--and the Tiamat Eliminator should fall after the fourth or fifth
Stagger.
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WikiCheats Tip
After you defeat the Tiamat Eliminator, we highly suggest you take at
least an hour to grind here in the Tesseracts. Defeat the Wladislaus,
Jabberwocky, and Bandersnatch enemies for 32,000 CP a battle, then
return to the save point on the lower platform to respawn them.
|
The warp gate here will take you to the Narthex and Nascent Throne
areas, the final zones in the game. Once you enter that area, there's no
turning back.
The warp gate behind you takes you back to the start of Orphan's
Cradle, where you can warp to Eden or Gran Pulse, if you feel like going
there.
Create a separate save file here so that you can return to this
point if you find the game's final challenges to be too daunting.
The Narthex/Nascent Throne
Head up to the game's final save point and open up the shopping menu.
Head to B&W Outfitters and buy at least a couple Cherub's Crowns,
but don't equip them yet. Also, buy some Phoenix Downs: you'll want half
a dozen for the upcoming battles, just in case. If you want to do any
item upgrading, now's a great time to do it.
When you're ready to move on, set Protection as your active
paradigm, save your game, then head up to face the Barthandelus again.
Boss: Barthandelus
HP: 5,227,500
Barthandelus has three attacks. The first, and the one you
probably don't need to worry about, is a light laser attack that will
hit Fang for light damage. The second is Ultima, which in an
area-of-effect spell that deals decent damage; shift to Combat Clinic to
heal after every one of these. Finally, its Thanatosian Laughter
damages all party members with huge blows to their HP. As soon as you
see that Barthandelus is about to use this attack, shift to Combat
Clinic.
At the start of the battle, wait until all party members are
buffed with Bravery and Faith, then shift paradigms to Delta Attack to
start building up the boss's Chain Gauge. You'll notice you're not
dealing a lot of damage, but what's important is that you fill the Chain
Gauge. Shift to Mystic Tower when you've filled it halfway until you
Stagger it, then shift immediately to Relentless Assault to lay down the
heat. You'll slowly rack up the damage needed to whittle down his five
million-plus HP.
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Boss: Orphan (first form)
HP: 6,780,000
When the battle starts, pause the game and select "Retry," as you
want to do some adjusting for this fight. However many Cherub's Crowns
you have, equip Lightning with all of them. Swap out the Protection
paradigm with Aggression (Commando/Commando/Ravager), and set Combat
Clinic as your active paradigm. Now you're ready!
Orphan has two forms: Consummate Light and Consummate Darkness.
When it shifts between the two forms it uses its Merciless Judgment
attack, with affects the whole party with a huge drain to their HP.
Whenever you see the caption for this attack appear, shift paradigms
immediately to Combat Clinic.
When you've healed up from a Merciless Judgment attack, shift
paradigms to Evened Odds. Wait for Hope to buff everyone with six status
enhancements while Fang hits Orphan with several status ailments,
namely Slow. Once those buffs/debuffs are in place, shift paradigms to
Relentless Assault and start beating this boss down! Shift to Combat
Clinic whenever anyone's HP drops to 50% or below.
Once you Stagger Orphan, shift paradigms to Evened Odds to
reapply your buffs and debuffs if you need to, as well as remove status
ailments and heal, then go on an all and out Relentless Assault. As you
near the end of the first Stagger period, shift to Combat Clinic, as
Orphan is about to hit you with Merciless Judgment again. Orphan's
attacks in Consummate Darkness mode can hit you with status ailments,
but you should stick with Relentless Assault and focus on building up
its Chain Gauge again, and only heal with Combat Clinic when necessary.
As the battle wages on, Orphan will start using Merciless
Judgment more often, which means you'll need to be quick to shift to
Combat Clinic before the boss begins that attack. Orphan will also start
using Progenitorial Wrath, which hits a character for an instant kill.
Since you buffed Lightning up with Cherbu's Crowns, hopefully she won't
kick the bucket if she's struck by the attack. If Fang or Hope gets hit
by it, use a Phoenix Down to revive them.
Keep up the offensive (healing whenever necessary, of course)
until you've Staggered Orphan a third time. At that point, attack it
until the Chain Combo reaches 999%, then shift paradigms to Aggression
to really lay on the damage. Don't get too cocky when Orphan falls, though, because it's ain't dead yet...
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Final Boss: Orphan (second form)
HP: 3,390,000
You've got a Doom counter on you, so there's no time for fooling
around! Shift to Relentless Assault and immediately start pounding away
on Orphan. The final boss will take no damage until you Stagger it,
which is why you want to go on an all-out offensive. Use Lightning's
Army of One ability to build up the Chain Gauge quickly. Orphan won't
take this abuse lying down, though, so shift to Combat Clinic whenever
you need to heal. Orphan loves to slap you around with her silky black
tentacle, which knocks off thousands of HP per hit.
Once you Stagger Orphan, your Commando should Launch it. Stick
with Relentless Assault to build the Chain Combo to 999%. Once it
reaches that mark, shift paradigms to Aggression to keep Orphan juggled
in the air. Once the Stagger period ends, shift paradigms to Evened
Odds, as you'll need Fang to remove any status ailments from your party
while you rebuff. Once you're clean, go back on the assault to Stagger
Orphan again. Using these strategies, you should destroy Orphan at some
point in the third Stagger.
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Nice work! You have just defeated
Final Fantasy XIII's final
boss, but the game is far from over! Watch the game's closing
cinematics, then save your game when prompted. Reload the file and
you'll be at the save point in the game's final area. The final level of
the Crystarium is now unlocked. Turn around now and head through the
warp gate to return to the hub of the Tesseracts. You can now use the
two warp gates here to travel to Vallis Media on Gran Pulse or Eden.
This is the best time to complete all those Stone Missions, so get to it!
